Health: When Is Blood in Your Stool Actually a Sign of Colorectal Cancer?

Health recently interviewed Zuri Murrell, MD, a colorectal surgeon and cancer specialist at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, about when people should see a doctor about rectal bleeding, a potential symptom of colorectal cancer.

Murrell told Health that blood might appear in stools as a tumor grows and causes cells to break off, opening up blood vessels in the tumor.

“These cancer cells grow, grow, grow, outgrow their blood supply, literally break off, but the blood vessels are still there, shooting blood into the colon, for lack of a better term,” he said.

But blood in the stool also can be caused by other conditions, including hemorrhoids, anal fissures and abscesses, or even a difficult bowel movement, Murrell told Health.

“If you notice that every time you have a bowel movement, and you see blood every single time—whether your stool is hard or soft—you need to be evaluated,” he said.

Murrell told Health that if rectal bleeding is accompanied by colorectal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits or fatigue, it’s important to see a physician promptly and not delay out of fear or embarrassment. He emphasized that early detection of colorectal cancer can lead to better outcomes.

“You shouldn’t die from fear, and you shouldn’t die from embarrassment,” he said, repeating a common refrain he uses during community outreach efforts. “If you catch [colorectal cancer] early, it is curable by surgery. It is literally curable. So don’t become the self-fulfilling prophecy, because if you’re embarrassed long enough and you’re scared long enough that this is not going to be curable, guess what? It won’t be.”

Click here to read the complete article from Health.