What are the signs and symptoms of small bowel cancer?
Given how rare small bowel cancer is compared to many other cancerous and noncancerous diseases, it is already a difficult diagnosis. On top of that, the symptoms of small bowel cancer are usually pretty nonspecific, adding to the difficulty of diagnosis. Common symptoms include: • crampy abdominal pain • blood mixed in the stools • dark/tarry/black stools (from “digested” blood) • weight loss • diarrhea • jaundice Again, these symptoms could be caused by a number of medical conditions. If symptoms such as the ones listed above are severe, worsening, or persistent, medical attention should be sought so that a timely and accurate diagnosis can be made. Anytime blood is in the stools or the stools are black, medical attention should be sought. A far less common presenting symptom is bowel obstruction, in which the tumor blocks the passage of food products through the bowel. The blockage could be complete or partial. Bowel obstruction can cause sharp belly pain, sensation of abdominal blo
