1. Urgency to Defecate: One of the typical symptoms of rectal cancer is a sudden, urgent need to defecate.
Patients may feel like they need to have a bowel movement immediately, but the process is not smooth or complete. Some may have multiple bowel movements per day.
2. Blood in Stool: The presence of blood in the stool is a noticeable symptom of advanced colon cancer.
Most patients in the later stages will experience varying degrees of rectal bleeding. This may appear as a positive result for occult blood in routine fecal tests.
As the disease progresses, the blood may become visible in the stool, either as dark red or bright red blood. In some cases, mucous or pus may also be present.
3. Abnormal Stool Shape: The shape of stool can indicate the health of the intestines. In cases of acute intestinal infections, diarrhea or watery stools often occur.