Investigation of the frequency of clinical symptoms in patients with rectal cancer in Guilan Province from 2018 to 2021

Colorectal cancer is one of the most cancers and early diagnosis improves patient survival. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of clinical symptoms in patients with rectal cancer in Guilan Province from 2018 to 2021.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted as a census. Information on patients with rectal cancer referred to the Rasht Gastroenterology Clinic from 2018 to 2021was collected using a researcher-made survey instrument. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26. Numbers and percentages were used to describe the variables.

Most of the patients were between 50 and 70 years old. Besides, 63.5% of the patients were male. In addition, the body mass index of most patients was between 18.5 and 24.9 and most of them were non-smokers (62.5%). Also, the frequencies of some symptoms such as anemia, increased bowel movements, feeling unable to defecate completely, anal pain, inability to expel flatulence, and diarrhea were 18.8, 18.8, 18.8, 11.8, 8.2, and 5.9, respectively. Moreover, the frequencies of bleeding, constipation, weight loss, and hypogastric pain were 51.8%, 25.9%, 24.7% and 20%, respectively.

According to the results of the present study, more attention should be paid to the occurrence of symptoms such as constipation, weight loss, hypogastric pain and bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract in people over 50 years of age, and patients should be referred to gastroenterologists for examination for possible colorectal cancer.