Video title: ASK UNMC! What are the signs and symptoms of colon cancer?

[UNMC/Nebraska Medicine logo appears from a red to a white screen.]

[Text appears on screen: "ASK UNMC
What are the signs and symptoms of colon cancer?"]

[Speaker on camera: Sean Langenfeld, MD, UNMC College of Medicine, wearing green surgical scrubs]

So the colon is about five feet long, so the signs and symptoms of cancer can vary based on the location of the tumor. One common thing that patients might see is blood in their stool, as these tumors can bleed.

[A colorful medical infographic titled "Shades of Stool" is displayed. It shows two illustrated stool icons: one black and one bright red, each in a light blue circle. Below each icon is explanatory text. Under the black stool icon: "BLACK STOOLS — A black, tar-like appearance suggests bleeding somewhere along the upper digestive system." Under the red stool icon: "RED STOOLS — Bright red or tinged with red streaks often mean that blood is coming from a portion of the lower gastrointestinal network." A horizontal color spectrum of stool shades runs along the bottom, ranging from gray and yellow on the left to dark red on the right. Brackets label the middle range "NORMAL" and the outer ranges on both sides "ABNORMAL." Source is credited to gastro-md.com.]

The blood can be bright red if the cancer is closer to the end of the five-foot-long tube, or it could be a darker red if the cancer is further upstream. If the bleeding is significant enough to cause low blood counts, patients can also

[A stock photo shows a young woman in a white button-down shirt and light blue jeans lying exhausted on a light gray couch.]

describe weakness and fatigue. Other symptoms of colon cancer include a change in bowel habits

[A stock image of a toilet appears, followed by a slide graphic with a dark red header reading "Change in bowel habits" and three bullet points on a white background: Diarrhea, Constipation, Thinner stool.]

with new onset diarrhea or constipation. If the tumor is partially blocking the road, patients may complain of their stools being thinner or skinnier than they were before.

[A stock video shows a woman in a white T-shirt and pink pants clutching her abdomen with both hands, suggesting intestinal pain.]

If the road becomes sufficiently narrow and there's difficulty evacuating stool, patients can also experience crampy abdominal pain from the cancer. Another sign of colon cancer

[A stock video shows the lower half of a person in pink pants stepping onto a glass bathroom scale.]

is unexplained weight loss. Cancers are catabolic and they can attack the body's

[A stock video shows a woman in white undergarments holding her hands against her abdomen.]

muscle mass. They can also reduce a patient's appetite, which can impact their weight as well.

[A stock image shows a woman in a white sweater holding up her hand to refuse a bowl of food.]

[UNMC/Nebraska Medicine logo is displayed on a white screen.]