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Cancer symptoms aren’t always obvious. We often blame them on exhaustion from work and daily duties, experienced stress or lack of enough sleep. Therefore, the more we should be alert to the signals that the body gives us when something is wrong. Among them are those that are easy to miss in the daily rush. Check to see if you are experiencing them.
- The symptoms of neoplastic disease appear even a few months before the diagnosis and the examinations that precede it, which are usually prompted by the intensification of unpleasant ailments
- They are not annoying at first and do not appear regularly, which is why they are so easy to overlook. Among them are, among others skin changes, gas, weight loss or problems urinating
- Some of them may also be a sign of another disease. Regardless of whether the cause of the problems is cancer or another disease, the disturbing symptoms should not be underestimated – it is worth consulting them with a doctor
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
1. Fever
The two most common causes of fever are an ongoing infection and a response to treatment. In the first case, the body mobilizes in this way to fight the pathogen responsible for inflammation, usually a virus or bacteria. Increased temperature is a signal that our immune system is working at full speed to deal with the threat. In the latter case, fever is also a reaction to a “foreign body”, which is either the active substance or component of the drug (if we are allergic to it), or the antibodies contained in the protective vaccine.
Sometimes, however, a fever may not be clearly caused. If its episodes repeat and last for several days, and the temperature is difficult to lower, we should consult a doctor. A fever of unclear etiology may be a symptom of a blood cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma.
2. Chronic fatigue
Fatigue can be caused by many things, including lack of adequate sleep, long-term stress (also an extremely emotional event), physical exertion, hard mental work (especially if we do not care about regeneration breaks). How to distinguish “normal fatigue” from that which may be a sign of cancer?
The duration (or frequency of feeling) and the effectiveness of combating it. If fatigue becomes chronic (it lasts for weeks or even months, with no clear breaks or with slight periods of “relief”) and none of the known ways to deal with it (sleep, relax, slowing down the pace of work, etc.) does not help, the sign that’s a more serious problem. Fatigue can be an early symptom of leukemia, colon cancer or stomach cancer.
3. Skin changes
The skin is a place susceptible to all kinds of injuries and abrasions. The problem arises when changes on its surface take place regardless of external factors. If there was no, for example, a fall or bruising of a given place, and there is an unusual change in it (strong redness, thickening, rash, spot, and many others) or the one that we already wear (e.g. mole, discoloration) has changed (it has changed shape, color, size), we should consult a dermatologist. Suspicious skin lesions may be a symptom of skin cancer, e.g. melanoma.
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4. Changes in the oral cavity
For most of us, oral problems are the same as visiting a dentist. Meanwhile, dental problems do not exhaust the catalog of ailments that may appear in the oral cavity. Very often the symptoms that appear there are a consequence of disturbances in the work of other organs, e.g. the nearby throat.
For example, a throat cancer can present with cuts or red spots inside the mouth, small lumps on the inside of the cheek, pain when moving the mouth (jaw pain) and difficulty speaking.
5. Swallowing problems
Difficulty swallowing is very close to the lesions in the mouth. Again: these happen to most of us sometimes. They are usually caused by consuming food in too large portions, quickly and carelessly. Often their cause is a sore throat in the course of an infection or allergy, many times the problems are caused by gastroesophageal reflux.
However, it may happen that the background of the disorder is very serious, and cancer cells develop in our throat, so it is worth consulting a doctor to rule out a throat cancer or esophageal cancer.
6. Flatulence
Like fatigue and a headache, flatulence is one of the most ‘ungrateful’ symptoms as it can suggest a wide variety of health problems. Among them there are also, unfortunately, neoplastic diseases. Feeling full after eating may be one of the symptoms of colon cancer and ovarian cancer in women.
It is worth remembering that if flatulence occurs sporadically and we can determine its cause with high probability (e.g. a heavy meal, consumption of flatulence products), we should not worry about it. However, if they repeat or persist for a long time, a red light should light up in our head.
7. Heartburn
Like flatulence, heartburn can also be caused by a poor diet or eating foods that our body does not tolerate (many people experience the characteristic burning sensation in the throat after eating a dairy meal). In some cases, however, it may be a signal of neoplastic changes and indicate a developing stomach cancer.
8. Swollen lymph nodes
Lymph nodes are not an area of the body that we pay attention to too often. This is a mistake. Changes within them are an easily visible sign that something is wrong in the body. What changes should increase our vigilance? Mostly swelling, but also any lumps and other changes that you can feel. If we are not during or just after the infection, let’s go with this symptom to a doctor who will check the lymph nodes by palpation (touch), and if in doubt, he will order further tests to exclude a cancer, e.g. leukemia or lymphoma.
9. Troublesome cough
A cough is a condition that occurs in the course of many diseases, incl. infectious diseases caused by infection with viruses and bacteria, but also allergies and asthma. It can persist for up to 10 weeks after infection (this is the case, for example, with whooping cough). It is also commonly known smoker’s cough that affects people who smoke.
Persistent cough despite the fact that the disease itself (and its other symptoms) has long since disappeared, or a reflex that appears regularly without connection to the infection, which is difficult to associate with a specific cause, especially when blood appears in the sputum, always requires a medical consultation . Perhaps it is a symptom of lung cancer.
10. Problems with urination
Problems with urinating are often a kidney problem, but it can also be a symptom of developing cancer. Painful pressure on the bladder, discoloration or blood in the urine, irregular emptying of the bladder (too often or too infrequently), the need to put in a lot of effort – all of these may be signs of developing prostate cancer. This should not be taken lightly.
Did you know that the risk of developing prostate cancer can be estimated? This is achieved by a genetic test that detects mutations in the CHEK2 and HOXB13 genes. You can order this test and perform it yourself at home. You will find it in Medonet Market.
11. Blood in the stool
We rarely pay attention to its color and consistency, and both of these «parameters» can provide information about the state of health and be a hint that something in our body is not working properly. Blood in the stool, because this should worry us most of all, may be related to urinary tract infections or hemorrhoids, i.e. anal varicose veins. This painful problem can be solved by the primary care physician, and when the hemorrhoids come back – the proctologist.
Blood in the stool can also signal more serious health problems and indicate the presence of cancer cells in the kidneys or bladder, so never underestimate it.
12. Weight loss
While many people feel welcome and desirable to lose weight, it is not always a reason to be happy. If we lose weight suddenly and quickly, and at the same time we do not use any slimming diet or weight-reducing exercises, the changed weight cannot be associated with the diagnosed chronic disease (e.g. thyroid disorders) and the medications taken, perhaps one of our organs or systems is not functioning as it should be.
What kind of cancer disease can sudden weight loss be? Weight loss is suddenly lost in patients struggling with, among others, with pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer or cancer of the esophagus, but weight loss may also be a sign of cancer developing in the lungs.
13. Breast changes
Lumps, thickenings, redness, stinging, pain, discharge from the nipples do not necessarily indicate malignant neoplastic changes in the breast. However, they are often a symptom of some changes. What kind? This can only be recognized by a doctor by performing appropriate examinations: breast ultrasound, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy. It is not worth diagnosing yourself, let alone underestimating unusual changes. One consultation can save our lives.
14. Unusual vaginal bleeding
Like changes in the breasts, which are sometimes a natural consequence of hormones (e.g. during pregnancy), vaginal bleeding is a natural process. There is one condition: it is when it should be, i.e. during menstruation or childbirth. Any other bleeding should raise our vigilance and be consulted with a gynecologist.
So if the genital tract bleeds between periods, after menopause, or after intercourse, it’s worth checking. It may be uterine fibroids, but it may be cancer of the cervix, cancer of the endometrium, or cancer of the vagina.
15. Changes in the testicles
Men should also react when they see something disturbing within their genitals. Any unusual changes visible or felt in the testicular area should be alerted. Testicular cancer is often manifested by the presence of an unusual lump or swelling in an organ. Pain in the lower abdomen or scrotum area, a feeling of heaviness in this area and the feeling of enlargement of the testicles may also indicate cancer. All these symptoms should be consulted with a general practitioner, urologist or andrologist.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the diet. Do you have to stick to it 100% to stay healthy and feel good? Do you really have to start every day with breakfast? What is it like with sipping meals and eating fruit? Listen: