Tests can detect cancer before symptoms appear. You can also recognize warning signs by paying close attention to changes in your body. If you notice anything new or different that lasts for several weeks—and several weeks in the first place—contact your healthcare provider. Not all symptoms that can be precancerous are cancerous. But here are 17 symptoms that might warrant calling your doctor:
1- Abnormal periods or pelvic pain
Most women experience irregular periods or cramps. But persistent pain or changes in your cycle could be a sign of cervical, uterine, or ovarian cancer.
2- Changing bathroom habits
Significant changes in bodily functions can indicate colon, prostate, and bladder cancer, among other types of cancer. Warning signs include persistent constipation or diarrhea. Black or red blood in the stool. Black, tarry stools, frequent urination, and blood in the urine.
3- Bloating
We all feel bloated from time to time. But bloating for more than two weeks can be a sign of ovarian cancer, as well as many cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.
4- Breast changes
These include a new lump, enlargement, discoloration, changes around the nipple, or unusual discharge that you didn’t have before. Although most breast cancers occur in women, men can get them, too.
5- Chronic cough
A cough that lasts more than two weeks, especially a dry cough, can be a sign of lung cancer.
6- Chronic headache
A headache that lasts more than two weeks and does not respond to usual medications may be caused by a brain tumor.
7- Difficulty swallowing
If you feel like food is getting stuck in your throat, or if you’ve been having trouble swallowing for more than two weeks, it could be a sign of throat, lung, or stomach cancer.
8- Excessive bruising
Injury to the leg after hitting the coffee table is normal. But the sudden appearance of many bruises in unusual places that have not been bumped can indicate different types of leukemia.
9- High fever or infections
A fever that rises again and again, or moves from one infection to another, may indicate that the immune system has become more susceptible to lymphoma or leukemia.
10- Oral changes
Sores, persistent lesions, or painful areas in the mouth, especially in people who smoke or drink heavily, can indicate various oral cancers.
11- Skin changes
A change in the appearance of a mole or birthmark should be evaluated by a medical professional, either in person or through a video visit. To remember relevant changes, use this helpful reminder, ABCDE.
Asymmetry: half a mole or other different sign.
Border: The edges are jagged or blurred.
Color: variegated or inconsistent, in shades of black and brown.
Diameter: Larger than the size of a pencil eraser.
Evolution: Any mole that grows, bleeds, or changes over time.
12- The pain that lasts
Persistent pain anywhere in your body that has no apparent cause and is not responding to standard treatments should be dispensed with.
13- Constant fatigue
A sudden and permanent change in your energy level, no matter how long you sleep, can be a sign of leukemia or lymphoma.
14- Postmenopausal bleeding
There are several reasons for this, but if the problem persists, your doctor may want to screen you for cervical or uterine cancer.
15- Abdominal pain or nausea
Discomfort that lasts more than two weeks can be a warning sign of liver, pancreatic, or various types of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
16- Unexplained weight loss
Weight fluctuates. But losing weight without trying, or a loss of appetite can indicate many types of cancer, especially cancer that has spread.
17- Unusual lumps
Any new block or block that does not disappear must be dispensed with. Lymph nodes are often swollen when you have a cold, but if the swelling continues after recovery, you should contact your doctor.
