Symptoms of small intestine cancer
Small intestine cancer is very rare. As a result, doctors often look for other causes of symptoms before they check for cancer in the small intestine. This cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms in its early stages. Symptoms often appear if the tumour grows into surrounding tissues and organs or if it blocks the small intestine. Other health conditions can cause the same symptoms as small intestine cancer.
See your doctor if you have these symptoms.
- pain in the abdomen (in some cases, pain comes on suddenly and is severe)
- nausea
- vomiting
- weight loss
- constipation
- diarrhea
- bleeding from the bowel
- blood in the stool, or black, tarry stool
- fatigue and weakness, which may be caused by anemia
In some cases, tumours in the small intestine can cause serious problems. These cancer-related emergencies need to be treated right away:
- a blockage in the intestine (called a bowel obstruction)
- a hole in the intestine (called a bowel perforation)
A reduction in the number of healthy red blood cells.
Great progress has been made
Some cancers, such as thyroid and testicular, have survival rates of over 90%. Other cancers, such as pancreatic, brain and esophageal, continue to have very low survival rates.
