Colon Cancer:15 Warning Signs & Symptoms You Should Not Ignore

Melena

Colon cancer – Thelifetoday.com

The other type of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is called melena. Instead of finding red blood in the stools, we rather find dark-colored material with a foul smell. It is because blood was spilled into the intestinal lumen and traveled along with the stools for enough time to be decomposed by intestinal bacteria. This gives doctors a clue that the bleeding area is located in the ascending colon, the small intestines, or near the stomach. Once again, it might be caused by intestinal ulcers and other diseases and not colon cancer. Only your doctor will be able to tell after performing a series of diagnostic procedures.