My Father Has weightloss and blood in stools.

Dear Ask The Doctor: Dear DR..... My father aged 78 years has been suffering from severe gastric problem for the last 3 months....he s not able to have proper food and even water....day by day he s loosing weight also..recently he did a stool test and in tht there was positive trace of blood and after that he did a Endoscopy and after that he has been asked to get admitted in the hospital and have been asked to do Colonoscopy and Ultra sound scanning ...wat will be the problem with my father ..please do advise me eargerly waiting for ur reply

Dear Kumaran: I do understand that you are concerned for your father's health. You have mention that your father has been admitted for a colonoscopy and ultrasound due to his weight loss and the presence of blood in stools. In young adults the presence of blood in stools may mean something benign (blood due to anal fissure or hemorrhoids). But in the elderly, we have to rule out other causes including colon cancer.

Colon cancer may be left undiagnosed for many years and thus with incresing age it becomes necessary for its early detection and treatment. During colonoscopy a physician would be able to examine the entire length of the colon for any polyps, ulcers or tumors.