Does blood in the stool mean cancer?
Not always but the possibility exists, so medical attention is prudent. Blood in the stool is not normal. Bright red blood could mean bleeding from an anal fissure or bleeding from hemorrhoids. Dark blood (tarry stool) could be due to ingestion of iron supplements, food that contains blood in the recipe, or bleeding from a stomach ulcer. Blood in the stools, unless medically proven otherwise, should always arouse one’s suspicion to the probability of cancer of the rectum or colon. The physician, in this situation, will recommend a rectal (finger palpation) exam, and a colonoscopy (a procedure where a long flexible fiberoptic lighted colon “tele” scope with magnified lenses (connected to a TV monitor to display the views inside the colon while the examination is going on) is inserted into the anus and directed to the whole length of the colon to visualize any tumor or abnormalities in the big gut.
