The diagnosis of colorectal cancer in patients with symptoms: finding a needle in a haystack

Table 1. Presenting symptoms and signs for 194 patients with colorectal cancer

Symptom Percentage of patients:

Fecal occult blood test positive 77
Rectal bleeding 58
Anemia* 57
Abdominal pain 52
Weight loss 39
Anorexia 27
Constipation 27
Altered stools 25
Fatigue 25
Diarrhea 22
Nausea and vomiting 22
Tenesmus 8
Mucus in stools 6
Rectal pain 5
Obstruction 4

Adapted from . Majumdar et al. [1].
*Anemia = a hemoglobin of <13.4g/dl in men or <12.3g/dl in women.