4 serious symptoms of cancer

Cancer is generally referred to as a group of diseases, characterized by abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth and has the capacity to spread to other parts of your body. General symptoms of this health problem include a lump, prolonged cough that doesn’t go away, unexplained weight loss, fatigue or abnormal bleeding.

How does cancer occur?

Certain cells within your body, when exposed to a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) for a long duration, tend to develop abnormalities in their growth. They begin to grow uncontrollably and start forming tumors within your body. Generally, the physical symptoms become visible after the formation of the tumors as they begin to gain mass.

There are two kinds of tumors that can develop in your body, benign and malignant. The tumors that are malignant are the ones that cause cancer. Usually, cells in your breast region or your gastrointestinal regions are quite prone to developing tumors along with your reproductive organs, irrespective of your gender.

Signs and symptoms of cancer

Here are the signs and symptoms you need to look out for if you think you’re suffering from cancer:

Development of lumps on any part of your body

Developing a lump on your body can be an early or a late sign of cancer.  As the cells begin to grow in mass, they can become visible physically on your body. This lump can develop on any part of your body and tends to spread at a rapid pace throughout your body, especially, if the cells are malignant. A lump in your breast area needs immediate medical attention as there may be high chances that you may have to undergo a breast cancer surgery.

Abnormal bleeding- either oral or in your stool

Unusual or abnormal bleeding can occur during the early stages as well as the later stages of cancer.  Bleeding can mean different types of cancer. Presence of blood in your cough can indicate lung cancer. Blood in the faeces can mean cancer in your digestive regions like the colon or the renal areas. However, this kind of bleeding can be detected using a gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Development of sores on various parts of your body

Developing sores that do not heal could mean skin cancer or a sore that lasts for a long time in the mouth can indicate oral cancer. Oral cancer is quite common if you chew tobacco or smoke and is characterized by developing ulcers in your mouth or your throat. On the other hand, skin cancer can also be characterized by developing white patches on your skin or change in the colour or the pigmentation of your skin.

If you’re a woman and develop sores inside your genitals, it could be a sign of cervical cancer or ovarian cancer. Thus, diagnostic laparoscopy should be performed at regular intervals to check if you have any such sores. If you’re a man, physical symptoms of cancer in your reproductive area are quite rare and you may not know if you’re getting cancer. Therefore, you should undergo checkups at regular intervals.

Changes in your bladder and urine function

Changes in your urine or stool are also signs of cancer. Blood in your urine, long-term constipation or changes in your bladder functions could be related to prostate cancer in case of males.

Therefore, whenever you seem to have such symptoms, it is very important to contact your doctor at the earliest. If the tumor is malignant and spreading fast, chemotherapy treatment is often the only option left. Apart from chemotherapy treatment or breast cancer surgery in case of females, there are several diagnostic techniques such as gastrointestinal endoscopy or diagnostic laparoscopy you can opt for depending on the type of cancer you have. You should undergo such diagnosis at regular intervals to find out any underlying causes that can result in cancer.

Visit your nearest Apollo Spectra to get your cancer test.