rectal mass

in 2021 i had a normal fit test but for the last year have been bleeding heavily with bowel movements this has now changed to produce long looking clots when i wipe the doctor did a rectal exam and could feel something he refered me as fast tracked to the hospital i am male and almost 50 years old i have also done another fit test which i know will be positive because i saw the blood i don’t bleed everytime it can be a quite normal i see the specialist on friday my grandad died of stomach cancer his son my dad of lung cancer my aunt my dads sister of blood cancer i do fear the worst the word rectal mass scaredthe life out of me does that definitely mean cancer i don’t know

[Fruitcake1]

Soscared68, I'm having a colonoscopy on Friday, in December I had a night of cramps diarrhoea and then blood in my stools, went to docs and then spoke to a consultant who arranged ct scan, Fit and sigmoidoscopy, which was negative, I've lost 4 kilo in the last 2 weeks, diarrhoea and cramps and now blood again, as well as constipation and constant stomach cramps, like you there is family history of bowl cancer and other cancers in my amediate family and I am 50, I'm just keeping calm and hoping that they do find out what's going on and I'm hoping it's a polyp and nothing more serious. Let us know how you get on

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to Fruitcake1]

Hi Fruitcake1 .. hate to hear about another family history of cancer. Have you gotten genetic testing because of that?

Tom

[Fruitcake1 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

GCCA-Survivor no I haven't asked, but I will as my mum died of colon cancer at 68, my sister died of spinal cancer at 42 and my dad died of kidney cancer at 72 so it is something that needs to be looked out, thanks for your advice

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi Soscared68,

Thanks for reaching out on Colon Cancer Connected. I hate you're having to deal with this. The first thing I have to ask is with all that cancer going on in your family, has anyone done genetic testing to determine if you have some form of hereditary cancer? This can be very important information as it will determine who in your family needs to get tested and what kind of surveillance they will need to follow. Catching things early is key.

Your family sounds a lot like mine as there have been several cancers that have taken some of my family. Two of my cousins passed away from colon cancer. That happened at the age of 35 and 41. My grandmother on my father’s side died from colon cancer. I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2012 at the age of 49. I had a large mass that had grown outside of the colon wall. It was cancerous and had metastasized to another part of my body which is the definition of stage 4.

So, was it from the rectal exam that the doctor said “rectal mass”? I would assume so. I've come to realize that a “mass” can be of any size. If this was the description from your rectal exam that just means like you said he could “feel something”. Does “rectal mass” definitely mean cancer? Absolutely not. But there is always that chance that it may be. It takes over 2 million cancer cells for it to show up on a CT scan. If it is cancerous, it will be determined how far the progression has gone as far as is it still contained in the current mass or has it expanded partially into the wall of the colon. All these are questions you'll get an answer to with the colonoscopy and you may want to get a CT scan as well. It does sound to me like you're catching things early which is absolutely what you need to be doing. I would assume you will have the colonoscopy done. Not only so you'll know exactly what's going on with you but also because of your family history of cancer. With that kind of family record you should be on some sort of surveillance protocol.

I'm glad to see you have been fast-tracked to the hospital to see a specialist on Friday. I would definitely write down all the symptoms you are experiencing so you don't leave anything out when you're talking to the specialist. Make sure you write down exactly what you wrote here about your family history of cancer. I would even request to have genetic testing done just so you will know for sure if there's a hereditary aspect and if anyone else in your family should be getting checked. Given your family history, I would be very surprised if genetic testing isn't ordered.

We do as you all the best in going through this process. We hope what you find is not sinister and you get on the path to be well as soon as possible. Please let us know what you find out as it is that type of information that can be helpful to others on this site as well.

Thank you,

~Tom, GCCA Survivor - Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.

Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.