Cancer symptoms can manifest themselves in many different ways. However, when signs of cancer appear, the probability of the disease being advanced is greater. Treating cancer and prolonging survival is easier with early detection. For this reason, it is useful to perform screening tests, if any, before cancer symptoms appear. Considering the risk factors, cancers should be investigated before they show symptoms and spread to other organs or tissues.
Cancer symptoms vary according to the type of cancer or metastasis. Symptoms are often not significant on their own. The presence of risk factors should bring cancer to mind. In particular, if there is exposure to environmental risk factors as well as factors such as genetic predisposition (the occurrence of cancer cases in the family), age, gender, cancer should be investigated.
Common cancer symptoms include:
- Unexplained weight loss (stomach, pancreatic, lung, esophageal cancers etc.),
- High fever (leukemia, lymphoma, etc. is also seen in advanced cases),
- Shortness of breath (lung cancer etc.),
- Difficulty in swallowing (larynx cancer etc.),
- Hoarseness (larynx cancer etc.),
- Fatigue (leukemia, stomach, colon cancers, etc.),
- Pain (testicular, bone cancers, etc.),
- Mass (breast, testis, lymphoma, soft tissue cancers etc.),
- Bleeding (colon, lung, bladder, testicle, cervix cancers etc.),
- Diarrhea, constipation (colon cancer etc.),
- Burning, pain, bleeding while urinating (bladder cancer etc.),
- Persistent cough (lung, laryngeal cancer etc.),
- Persistent muscle and joint pains (bone, soft tissue cancers, etc.),
- Untimely vaginal bleeding (uterine cancer etc.),
- Changes in skin color, warts or moles (skin cancer, etc.).