This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The clinical features of colonic carcinoma depend on the precise site involved. They are best considered in terms of those features produced by the tumour itself, those produced by the presence of local secondaries, and those produced by other effects of the tumour.

Local effects of the tumours:

  • change in bowel habit - diarrhoea or constipation, or the two alternating with each other. The diarrhoea may contain profuse amounts of mucus. This may be due to excessive secretion by the tumour. The tumour may be bleed and rectal bleeding or a positive faecal occult blood test may result. Rarely melaena may occur.
  • intestinal obstruction - pain, distension, absolute constipation - and vomiting. This may be acute, i.e. sudden and severe, chronic, i.e. insiduous and slowly progressive, or acute on chronic, i.e. chronic that becomes acute as obstruction becomes complete.
  • perforation - into the general peritoneal cavity or locally, by a pericolic abscess, or by fistulae into adjacent viscera, e.g. gastro-colic, vesico-colic fistulae.

The effects of secondary deposits:

  • jaundice
  • abdominal distension due to ascites
  • hepatomegaly

The general effects of malignant disease:

  • anaemia
  • malaise
  • anorexia
  • loss of weight

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.