Today, people are living longer than ever after a cancer diagnosis due to improved cancer screenings. Routine screenings catch diseases earlier, when they are more straightforward to treat.
Noticing one of the following symptoms doesn’t mean you have cancer. But to be safe, Johns Hopkins surgical oncologist Nita Ahuja, M.D., asks you not to ignore these five symptoms. They’re important enough to tell your doctor about.
1-Unexplained Weight Loss
When you lose weight for no reason, call your doctor. A loss of 10 pounds or more could be nothing to worry about. However, in rare cases, it may be the first sign of cancer.
2-Fatigue
Woman having difficulties getting up in the morning. Horizontal framing, shallow depth of field used, adobeRGB photo.
This isn’t fatigue similar to how you feel after a long day of work or play. The extreme fatigue that doesn’t get better with rest can be an early sign of cancer.
Cancer uses your body’s nutrients to grow and advance, so those nutrients are no longer replenishing your body. This “nutrient theft” can make you feel extremely tired.
There are lots of underlying causes of fatigue, many of them not cancer-related. If your symptoms are severe enough to affect your quality of life, call your doctor.
3-Fever
Fever can be a common symptom of routine colds and the flu. Often, it’s nothing to worry about.
Certain characteristics of fever can foretell a possible cancer connection. You should pay particular attention if:
- A fever happens mostly at night.
- You have no other signs of infection.
- You experience night sweats.
4-Pain
Pain is another symptom that can be caused by a multitude of things, many of them routine, but it can also hint at an underlying disease.
Cancer can cause pain in different ways, including:
- A mass or tumor pushing on other areas of your body
- The chemicals a cancer releases
- Metastasis, or spreading from where a cancer started
If you’re experiencing pain that doesn’t go away — and you’re not sure where it came from — your doctor can help with the best next steps.
5-Skin Changes
Our skin is the largest organ of our body and can be a window into our overall health. Jaundice (yellowing of eyes or fingertips) is one symptom that could suggest a possible infection. Whether the cause is cancer or a more routine infection, you should get it checked out.
Changes in moles can also be cause for concern. Call your doctor if a mole:
- Is asymmetrical, or has jagged edges
- Has funny or irregular borders
- Changes color or gets darker
- Is large or growing
These aren’t the only ways your body could react to an early cancer. Check out the symptoms Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist Anne Marie Lennon, M.D., Ph.D., wants you to be extra cautious about.
Cancer Symptoms in Women
6-Swollen lymph nodes
Lumps in the side of your neck are most likely from strep throat or another infection. Less often, cancers like lymphoma or leukemia can make the lymph nodes swell up.
Breast cancer that has spread can cause swelling in lymph nodes under the arms. If the swelling doesn’t go away in a week or so, have your doctor take a look.
7-Trouble swallowing
A feeling like there’s a lump in your throat is a common symptom of heartburn. Less often, when you find it hard to swallow, it can signal cancer of the esophagus. If the feeling doesn’t let up or it gets worse, see your doctor
Cancer Symptoms in Men
Blood in urine or semen. A pink, brown, or red tinge to your pee or semen is usually nothing to panic over. Infections, kidney stones, injuries, and noncancerous prostate growth can all cause bleeding.
Cancer Symptoms in Women
Breast lump or change. Although it’s a hallmark symptom of breast cancer, most lumps aren’t cancer. They’re often fluid-filled cysts or noncancerous tumors.
Still, see your doctor right away if you find any new or changing growths in your breasts, just to make sure.
Also get these changes checked out:
- Redness or scaling of the skin over the breast
- Breast pain
- Nipple changes
- Lump under your arm
- Fluid that isn’t breast milk leaking from the nipple
Bleeding between periods or after menopause. Bleeding from the vagina during women’s reproductive years is usually their monthly period. When it happens after menopause or outside of normal periods, cervical or endometrial cancer is a possibility. Call your doctor if you have any bleeding that’s unusual for you.
source : https://www.webmd.com/
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