When it comes to health, it’s surprising how the little things we pass off as “harmless” can actually lead to the most severe and sometimes life-threatening results. Here, we tackle some subtle warning signs of cancer that most people tend to ignore.
Those symptoms can include the following…
1. Fatigue
The daily grind can feel exhausting, especially if our schedules are typically full. That’s normal, but if you’re consistently tired for no reason, it might be something more severe than just tiredness. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of most cancers, and it can leave you with low energy. Fatigue is typically marked as long-term, persistent exhaustion that does not go away.
With fatigue can come the following…
2. Fevers
A fever is the body’s natural response to combat viral infections and illnesses. While having a fever doesn’t automatically mean you have cancer, frequent fevers, on the other hand, should spark concern. Specifically, frequent high fevers are often seen in the early stages of cancers like lymphoma, colon cancer, and leukemia.
Occasional aches and pains might be a warning of a serious medical condition…
3. Bodily Pains
Pain signals a problem in the body. While some cancers aren’t painful, some can manifest through headaches (brain tumor), back pains (blood/colon cancers), belly pain (pancreatic cancers) and leg pain (bone cancers). Keep in mind that body pain does not always signify cancer, but it should encourage you to visit the doctor.
Not every loss has a wonderful gain, as the following symptom shows…
4. Sudden Weight Loss
Sudden weight loss might sound like a blessing, but if it’s done without any kind of diet and exercise, it could spell trouble. Unexpected weight loss is a common symptom in lung, pancreatic, esophageal, and ovarian cancers.
The following is likewise quite alarming…
5. Dysphagia
Having problems with swallowing your food lately? Dysphagia is an early symptom of cancers like thyroid, laryngeal, and esophageal cancers. Some cases of mouth and throat cancers can start with this symptom.
Like dysphagia, the following also make eating difficult…
6. Mouth Sores
If you get mouth sores frequently, it could be a sign of oral cancer. These typically appear on the lips, tongue, and gums, and they usually won’t heal right away. Habits like smoking and drinking while having these sores can hasten the risk.
The following is yet another potential symptom of cancer…
7. White Patches On The Tongue
You might notice some little white patches in your mouth along with sores. While they aren’t painful, it’s definitely a cause for alarm. These can be pre-cancerous lesions called leukoplakia, which can be cancerous if not treated early or properly.
Some symptoms are just a little more obvious…
8. Nagging Cough
The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer states more than 50% of people who have lung cancer experience persistent, nagging coughs early in their condition. Severe and frequent coughing is also noted among laryngeal and thyroid cancer patients.
Some things in life can leave you with the following symptom…
9. Breathlessness
If you often find yourself running out of breath despite not doing anything tedious, it could be an indicator of lung cancer, as cancerous cells tend to affect the airways. People suffering from advanced stages of breast or ovarian cancers have also reported occasional breathlessness.
That “fire inside you” could be more than just a conviction…
10. Heartburn
A lot of factors can cause heartburn, including stress, certain foods, and being overweight. But if heartburn is chronic, it may be an early warning symptom for conditions like esophageal and stomach cancers.
Sometimes, time can’t heal all wounds…
11. Slow-Healing Wounds
If you have wounds that don’t seem to heal for more than four weeks, despite treatment, it may be a strong indicator of certain cancers like lymphoma, breast, gastrointestinal, and anal-rectal.
Speaking of wounds, here’s another alarming symptom…
12. Unusual Bleeding
Sudden bleeding is always an indicator of serious conditions like cancer. Coughing up blood, for example, could be a sign of lung cancer. Constant bleeding in the nipples is seen as a sign of breast cancer, while those with colon, bladder, or prostate cancers tend to have bloody urine or stool.
In regards to digestion, the following is another possible cancer symptom…
13. Persistent Bowel Problems
Bloody urine can be a sign of bladder or prostate cancer. On the other hand, persistent constipation or diarrhea are usually seen as early warning symptoms of both colon and rectal cancers.
Cancer symptoms don’t just affect your digestion, though, as the next symptom shows…
14. Skin & Eye Problems
Drastic changes in the skin can also be taken as signs of various cancers. Pancreatic cancer, for example, can manifest itself early on through jaundice, or the yellowing of the skin and the eyes, while liver cancer can also cause itchier skin.
Drastic skin changes can also show up as the following…
15. Changes In Moles
Moles, freckles, or warts that suddenly change in shape, color, or size are usually early warning signs of skin cancers like melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. This is why it’s so critical to keep up with annual dermatologist appointments, to ensure skin cancer does not occur or spread.
This last symptom on our list could be the most alarming of all…
16. Lumps
The appearance of lumps on the body has always been associated with cancer. These hard, painless lumps usually appear in cancer-affected areas like the breast (breast cancer), neck (neck/thyroid cancer), and testicle (testicular cancer).
