Anemia
Anemia and colon cancer go hand in hand. In many cases, it may be earliest sign of developing cancer. On the other side, anemia can be a due to radiations and drugs used to treat colon cancer.
Anemia is explained as either the lack of red blood cells or deficiency of hemoglobin. Unfortunately, anemia can often go unnoticed by the patient. Patient feels tired and lethargic. Some people may have problem of shortness of breath when exercising or doing some strenuous physical activity.
Iron deficiency anemia can be an early warning sign of colon cancer. Research shows that 39 percent of people with colon cancer will be anemic at the time of diagnosis and 50 percent of them will be suffering from iron deficiency anemia. Remaining are the cases of normocytic anemia.
Bleeding is considered the primary cause of iron deficiency anemia in colon cancer. Formation of new blood vessels has been observed due to release of certain chemicals by the malignant cells. As the cancer becomes larger, the vessels bursts resulting in massive bleeding. Rectal bleed is also one of the major symptoms of colon cancer. Right sided colon cancers predominantly present with anemia. Left sided colon cancers predominantly present with change in bowel movements and rectal bleeding but anemia is less likely.
This bleeding can cause iron deficiency in the body. Even if there is sufficient amount of iron in the blood, iron is trapped in immune cells due to process of inflammation. This process gets faster with passage of time and ultimately patient suffers from severe anemia. If usual blood screening test shows that you are anemic, don’t hesitate contacting your doctor. This is especially important if experiencing other dangerous symptoms of colon cancer as well. Blood transfusion is generally required to treat these anemic patients. In addition to this, proper nutrition, iron supplements and adequate fluid intake is advised to the patient.