Colon Cancer?

Question

My father has been defecating blood since january. A bit in January of 2007 so he went to see a doctor. The doctor told him nothing was detected and he gave my father some pills. The bleeding stopped for some time. Now its august and he has been defecating a lot of blood for the past weekend. So he is going to see a doctor tomorow. The blood is bright red and I am afraid he might be diagnosed with colon cancer.
Aside from the blood, the only other symptom I can find is the reduced size of his stools. I know that it might be some others diseases but obviously, colon cancer is the worst.
I know early stages of colon cancer can be treated easily, but given the situation (occasional bleeding in january, off, then again a lot in august), if worst comes to worst, he is diagnosed, what stage do you think he is in now?
This is a real situation, please no jokes. Thanks

Answer 1

I assume that your father is an older person. I do not know what you mean by "nothing is detected". From what? Physical examination or an invasive procedure such as colonoscopy?

I can not judge from the history that you have presented but your physician must have done several tests to rule out the possibility of colon cancer. Colorectal cancer will be one of the things a physician will rule out because of the bleeding and the age of your father. Of course only your physician will know what he felt upon palpation of your fathers abdomen, about the lifestyle (smoker vs. non smoker), the eating habits, among others. One of the most significant signs of any cancer is significant weight loss. Again, only your physician can tell you if your father had that based on his clinical records.

Colorectal CA is the worst that can happen but on the other side of the spectrum, reduced size of his stools and blood can also mean that your father is consipated. He might have a hard time defacating, hence injuring the epithelium of his rectum. Also a sign of constipation is the small, hard stools.

Regarding staging of colorectal cancer, it will depend on the histopathological characteristics of the tumor, presence of lymph nodes and metastasis. Staging is important in the further treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) for the patient.

Answer 2

Ok, listen up.
If the dr decides one is necessary, he will order a colonoscope. and he just might order some blood tests. maybe a cat scan. .Once all the tests are back, his dr will probably meet with other doctors and determine what type it is. IF it IS cancer.
It ranges from T1 to T4. That will decide the treatment. And it is rare to know this after 1 visit.
I found a website, it's not the shortest,but i think it spells it out quite well.
==
If you can, go to the dr with him, do it. . He'll probably be scared, and he'll need all the moral support you can give him.
Good luck, and i wish you both the best.
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My wife had colorectal cancer,--- fortunately, she's fine now, but for a while,
her surgeon was pulling his hair out., so I've been there.

Answer 3

If the blood is red - it comes from the lower part of the intestine, possibly from the rectum. It does not have to be a cancer, but it has to be diagnosed and treated.
The best diagnosis method is colonoscopy (or sigmoscopy) - that optical tube they insert in your intestine. It is considered a rather safe and reliable examination and I am surprised they did not do it so far.
Regarding the stage of the cancer, it can be any stage: from a non-cancerous polyp, to a fully metastasized one.
Lets hope for the best.

Answer 4

What you are observing is rectal bleeding. It can be anything from hemorrhoids to colon cancer. It is also hard to say which cancer stage he is. The doctors should be able to tell after the diagnosis.

Don't worry too much yet as worrying now cannot help solve anything.

Here is an article to read on colon cancer for you
http://www.healthandwellnesscentral.com/Article/Early-Detection-Yields-High-Survival-Rate-For-Colon-Cancer-Patients/17170

Answer 5

Don't jump to any conclusions. He went to the Doctor and there was no sign of cancer. Maybe he is suffering from hemorrhoids, that could be a cause of bright red bleeding. Good luck to your Dad.