This site is intended for healthcare professionals Medscape Colon Cancer Clinical Presentation PRESENTATION History Because of increased emphasis on screening practices, colon cancer is now often detected before it starts to cause symptoms. In more advanced cases, common clinical presentations include iron- deficiency anemia, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, change in bowel habits, and intestinal obstruction or perforation. Right-sided lesions are more likely to bleed and cause diarrhea, while left-sided tumors are usually detected later and may present as bowel obstruction Physical Examination Physical examination findings can be very nonspecific (eg, fatigue, weight loss) or normal early in the course of colon cancer. In more advanced cases, any of the following may be present ‘+ Abdominal tenderness + Macroscopic rectal bleeding + Palpable abdominal mass + Hepatomegaly + Ascites Differential Diagnoses What to Read Next on Medscape Related Conditions and Diseases + Colorectal Cancer Guidelines Colorectal Cancer and KRAS/BRAF Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Colorectal Cancer? Pediatric Colorectal Tumors Quiz: Do You Know the Risk Factors, Diagnostic Tests, and Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer? News & Perspective+ More Data on Chewing Gum After Bowel Surgery + Arefa MD's Morning Report: Colorectal Cancer Screening, Alcohol Use in Women, Calcium ‘Supplementation and CVD Tools + Drug Interaction Checker + Pill Identifier + Calculators + Formulary Slideshow Colorectal Cancer: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Options Most Popular ArticlesAccording to Oncologist/Hematologists 41. Gut Microbiome May Determine Immunotherapy Response 2. Updated ASCO Guidelines Stress Early Start to Palliative Care 3, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Seeing Positive Results 4. Questioning Ethics of Costly Drugs for Metastatic Cancer 5. New Interest in Local Therapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer View More Medscape App Now optimized for point-of-care decision making LEARN MORE