Signs & Symptoms of the Last Stage of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is described in five stages, from zero through four (with zero being the earliest stage, carcinoma in situ). Those who receive a diagnosis of stage 1 or stage 2 colon cancer after a routine colonoscopy may have been free of symptoms up to that time.

Types of Symptoms

• There are two different types of cancer symptoms: local and systemic. Local cancer symptoms affect bowel movements and the colon while systemic cancer symptoms affect the whole body. Both local and systemic symptoms of colon cancer may be experienced in the last phase of colon cancer.

Local Symptoms

• Local signs and symptoms of the last phase of colon cancer that one may experience while suffering from stage IV colon cancer may be changes in bowel habits such as constipation and diarrhea or intermittently both, as well as blood in stools and thinner stools. The local symptoms of the last phase of colon cancer are experienced in the immediate area around the colon and rectum. If the tumor is large enough, a physician may be able to feel it through the abdominal wall.

Systemic Symptoms

• Systemic signs and symptoms of the last stage of colon cancer are weight loss and loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, anemia (low red blood cell count or low iron in red blood cells), and jaundice, which is a yellow coloration of the skin and eyes caused by liver involvement.