Colon cancer signs for women and men should not be ignored.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 140,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year in America.
Rectal bleeding is the most obvious colon cancer symptom, but there are other, more subtle signs, like learning you're anemic. It may be the first sign that you're bleeding internally.
Other signs are you can't catch your breath, you feel bloated or crampy and you have severe constipation.
According to Kurtis A. Campbell, M.D., a board certified surgical oncologist of Surgical Oncology at Mercy Medical Center, the most important thing anyone can do is to get screened.
"The state-of-the-art guidelines speak toward your initial index screening colonoscopy occurring when you are aged 45. Even sooner, should you be someone who is a high risk," Dr. Campbell said.
Dr. Campbell added that it is important to stop smoking, drink in moderation or not at all, avoid processed meats and red meat, exercise and maintain a good weight.
Dr. Campbell focuses on gastrointestinal and complex abdominal surgery. Intricate surgeries involving the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (stomach, small intestine, large intestine, colon and rectum) need the precision and exacting capability of a surgical oncologist who has performed these types of procedures so many times the surgery seems to be performed with the skill and accuracy of a finely-trained drill team. He also provides the unique HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy) procedure to treat advanced abdominal cancers and bring hope to patients with complex, life-threatening cancer diagnoses.