Early Diagnosis of Cancer: Recognizing Symptoms and Seeking Treatment

2023-09-13 18:22:55

Early diagnosis of cancer is crucial to strengthen treatment against the disease. According to a study carried out by the organization Cancer Research UKmore than half of Britons have at some time suffered from one of the symptoms that could indicate the presence of a malignant tumor, but only 2 percent thought they might have the disease and more than a third completely ignored the alarms without going to the hospital. to the doctor.

Catherine Whitaker, researcher of University College of London and lead author of the research, stated: “People believe that we should not encourage people to be hypochondriacs, but we have a problem with individuals who are embarrassed to go to the doctor, because they believe that they are going to waste their time. and they are going to uselessly waste the resources of the health system.”

“We have to send the message that if you have symptoms that do not go away, particularly those that are considered warning signs, you should not ignore them, you should go to the doctor and seek help,” the British specialist told the BBC portal. In this regard, the researchers detailed various indications that must be taken into account to evaluate a consultation with an expert.

Most people with cancer experience weightloss sometime. This symptom is called unexplained weight loss and should be a cause for concern. For specialists, an unexplained weight loss of 5 kg or more can be the first sign of pancreatic, stomach, esophageal or lung cancer.

The fever It is very common in patients who have cancer, although it occurs more often after the disease has spread from where it started. All affected people experience the symptom at some point, especially if the cancer or its treatments affect the immune system. In the case of leukemia, the sharp rise in body temperature occurs early along with signs of tiredness.

Cancers can affect the skin, such as darkening (hyperpigmentation), yellowing (jaundice), redness of the skin (erythema) or itching (pruritus). On the other hand, constipation, diarrhea, or a change in the size of your stool for a long time may be a sign of colon cancer.

Many different sores or moles that grow, hurt or bleed can be symptoms of skin cancer, but we must also be attentive to the small wounds that do not heal in more than four weeks. Any changes in your mouth that last a long time should be examined immediately by a doctor or dentist. You have to be attentive to any hardening or a mass that has arisen in any part of the body.

Finally, the appearance of blood in stool could be a sign of colon cancer or rectal cancer. While in the cervix the endometrium can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding. Also, blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer. Also, at the time of coughing, if there are traces it can be an indicator.