Can baby's stool with blood be colon cancer?

Written by Quan Xiang Mei

Pediatrics

Updated on February 04, 2025

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Blood in the stool of babies is different from that in adults. In infants and young children, due to weaker gastrointestinal digestive functions, inappropriate feeding, changes in diet structure, or abnormal gastrointestinal functions can all lead to the presence of blood in the stool, which is usually not due to colon cancer.

Therefore, if a child has persistent blood in their stool accompanied by either no weight gain or weight loss, or other abnormal symptoms, and if there is a suspicion of cancer-related factors, parents should promptly take the child to a hospital for a thorough examination. In most cases, blood in a baby's stool is commonly due to poor digestion of the gastrointestinal tract or from gastroenteritis caused by viruses or bacteria due to an increase in the frequency of bowel movements, or it could be due to severe constipation in the baby, where factors like anal fissures might also lead to blood in the stool.

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