Signs and Symptoms of Cancer

The signs and symptoms of caner are quite varied and depend on several factors like where the cancer is located, the extent of spread, and how big the tumour is. Some cancers can be felt or seen through the skin--- like breast cancer may be felt as a lump and skin cancer may appear as a change in a wart or mole on the skin or a new growth. But many cancers do not have obvious signs and symptoms. Read to know more on some general signs and symptoms of cancer.

• Unexplained weight loss: Many cancers can cause weight loss at some point. Unexplained weight loss means weight loss due to no known reason. In many people an unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more can be the first indicator of cancer. Unexplained weight loss often occurs in cancers of the pancreas, stomach, oesophagus, or lung.
• Fever: Fever is a common and non-specific sign of cancer. It is more common when the cancer has spread from where it started. Most patients with cancer develop fever at some time or other. Fever may be an early sign of cancer in leukaemia or lymphoma.
• Fatigue: Many patients with cancer experience fatigue or extreme tiredness that does not improve with rest and increases as cancer grows. Fatigue can be an early sign in some cancers (leukaemia or lymphomas).
• Pain: Pain can be an early or late symptom in cancer. Cancers of the bone or testis cause pain early in the disease whereas in many cancers pain may occur after the tumour has already spread from where it started (metastasised). Pain may occur related to the site of tumour (such as a headache that does not go away or improves with treatment can occur in brain tumour, or back pain may occur due to cancer of the colon, rectum, or ovary) or distant from the site of primary tumour due to metastasis.
• Skin changes: Besides skin cancers, other cancers can also cause signs or symptoms in the skin such as yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice) may occur in tumour of the pancreas, or liver and excessive hair growth may occur in lung cancer.

In addition to these general signs and symptoms you should watch for certain other common symptoms and signs which indicate presence of cancer.  Change in bowel habits (constipation, diarrhoea, or a change in the size of the stool may be due to colon cancer), bladder function (pain when passing urine, and blood in the urine may be due to bladder cancer), sores that do not heal (may occur due to skin cancer); persistent cough (may be due to lung cancer).

These are some of the common signs and symptoms of cancer, there are many others which are not mentioned here. If you notice any symptoms and/or signs suggestive of cancer consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Read more articles on Signs and Symptoms of Cancer