Do hemorrhoids increase the risk of colorectal cancer?
No. Hemorrhoids do not increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer. But since both conditions can produce bleeding as a symptom, it’s important to determine whether cancer may also be present. After treating your hemorrhoids (thus resolving any bleeding related to the hemorrhoids), we can screen you for colorectal cancer with a fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which tests for the presence of blood in the stool or a colonoscopy may be recommended. Research shows that up to 2.3% of patients with bleeding hemorrhoids may also have colorectal cancer.
