In India, a large number of people succumb to cancer each year. This is despite cancer being a treatable condition. So, everyone has to know of warning signs of cancer in your body.
There are several cases wherein the early diagnosis of cancer has a significant effect on the treatment of cancer and the results derived. Early diagnosis of cancer hence remains an important factor.
Since cancer is a treatable condition, one has to notice the signs of the condition when it is in its early stages. This is the best time to go and consult a doctor.
At times, people fail to understand the early signs of cancer. This comes as one of the biggest challenges in cancer recovery. By the time the patients approach a doctor for a consultation, the disease has already progressed.
In this article, we take a look at some pre-cancer signs that are warning signs of cancerous growth, or the top warning signs of cancer in your body.
1. Recurring fever at night
The fever that is caused by cancerous growth is different from the fever that we experience when suffering from the common flu and cold. There’s a report available on the website of John Hopkins Medicine. As per this report, a few of the characteristics of recurring fever could possibly have a connection with cancer. This is a matter that should be paid attention to if it is mostly at night that you suffer from fever; you suffer from night sweats and have no other signs of infection.
2. Changes in the texture and color of the skin
If you come to notice that there are changes in the color and texture of your skin, these are matters not to be ignored. As per health experts, everyone should regularly check for moles on their skin. If you come to feel that the mole size is increasing or changing its color, it is recommended to get it checked by your doctor.
3. Ongoing pain
When cancerous growth takes place, regular areas of the body are pushed. This is likely to lead to persistent and sudden pain. During the initial stages, this might appear to be irrelevant. The primary reason for the same is that after some time, the pain leaves.
However, you should try and make sure that at any time, you do not ignore ongoing pain without any valid reason.
4. Difficulty in breathing
Difficulty in breathing is one of the symptoms that are sometimes associated with fatigue. However, there could be several underlying reasons for difficulty in breathing. This includes poor heart health.
But, the connection between difficulty in breathing and the odds of cancerous growth in the body can never be ruled out.
In case you come to feel that you are experiencing changes in your breathing ability when doing basic tasks such as ascending the stairs, you should consult with your doctor regarding the matter.
5. Fatigue
Cancerous cells have a tendency to use the nutrients in the body for their own growth. So, a cancer patient experiences a loss of nutrition in the body and experiences extreme fatigue.
This is a different type of fatigue and bears dissimilarities to the fatigue that we experience when we conduct excessive physical labor.
So, in case you come to see that you are facing difficulties in carrying on with your day-to-day work, you should contact your doctor.
6. Drastic weight loss
If sudden weight loss in the body is unexplained, it is one of the most important indicators of cancerous growth in the body. So, one should be paying attention to one’s body weight at all times and places. This helps keep the onset of cancer in check.
In case you come to experience that you have not been trying to lose weight or have made no significant changes in your diet, but have still lost a lot of weight, contact your doctor. It’s okay to be happy about losing weight. But have your doctor check the matter to make sure that everything’s fine.
7. Changes in body functions
In case you come to see that there are any changes in your body functions, you should pay heed to them. Many factors could be the underlying causes of the changes in these body functions. While some of them are serious, others are not. This information has been shared by Anne Marie Lennon, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist.
As per the expert, a few of the matters that always need to be borne in mind include sudden diarrhea or constipation, difficulties in passing stool or passing urine, passing urine mixed in your stool or air in urine, feeling that you are not able to empty your bowels entirely, or any other changes from your bowel functions should never be ignored.
8. Unexplained bleeding
In case it so happens that you experience bleeding without injuring yourself, you should come to grasp that there’s something wrong with your body.
Bleeding could appear in many forms such as seeing traces of blood in stool or urine. Seeing blood patches on sputum is also one of the indicators of a serious underlying health condition.
Vaginal bleeding while a woman is not having periods is also included in this category.
9. Abnormal growth and lumps
Abnormal growth on the skin is never an indicator of anything positive. This includes lumps in the neck, groin areas, armpit, breast, or chest.
In case you come to observe that there are any such lumps on your body, you should be carefully monitoring them.
Then, if you come to see that the lump has persisted for a long time has now changed its nature, or has started growing abnormally, or if the lump is painful, then you should contact your doctor ASAP.
10. Loss of appetite
Loss of appetite is another important way that cancerous growth affects your body. As per many cancer patients, one of the earliest signs of cancer that they experienced was feeling full even though they had hardly eaten anything.
In case you have been experiencing difficulty in swallowing, it is recommended to have your throat checked by an expert as this is also one of the important warning signs of cancer in your body.
