It is always advised by doctors to limit our risk factors and undergo appropriate cancer screening from time to time. Most cancer screenings are specific to certain age groups and your primary care doctor will know what screening to perform depending on your age. However, individuals need to know which symptoms might point to cancer as they are a warning sign that you need to get yourself diagnosed. Here is a list of 13 common cancer and their symptoms.
1. Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer arises due to the abnormal growth of cells in the cervix area that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body.
Symptoms – abnormal bleeding, such as bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, after a pelvic exam, or after menopause; discharge that’s unusual in amount, color, consistency, or smell; having to go to urinate more frequently; pelvic pain; painful urination.
2. Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer occurs in the prostate — a small walnut-shaped gland in men that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men.
Symptoms – Trouble urinating, decreased force in the stream of urine, blood in semen, discomfort in the pelvic area, bone pain, erectile dysfunction.
3. Lymphoma
Lymphoma begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes that are in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other parts of the body.
Symptoms – Swollen glands (lymph nodes), often in the neck, armpit, or groin that are painless, cough, shortness of breath, fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, itching.
4. Skin Cancer
Skin cancers include melanoma, basal cell, and a squamous cell that is treatable if diagnosed early.
Symptoms – A sore that doesn’t heal, a mole that is changing, scaly and crusty appearing lesions, pink, white, or flesh-colored lumps that appear dome-like, itching.
5. Blood Cancer
Leukemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow. Many types exist such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Symptoms – Coughing or chest pain, fever or chills, frequent infections, itchy skin or rash, loss of appetite or nausea, night sweats, persistent weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath.
6. Colon Cancer
Colon cancer happens when tumorous growths develop in the large intestine.
Symptoms – loose and narrow stools, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, or gas, pain during bowel movements, continual urges to defecate, weakness and fatigue, unexplained weight loss.
7. Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer begins when healthy cells in the bladder grow out of control and form a mass called a tumor.
Symptoms – Blood or blood clots in the urine, pain or burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, feeling the need to urinate many times throughout the night, feeling the need to urinate, but not being able to pass urine, lower back pain on 1 side of the body.
8. Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a condition where healthy cells in the breast change and grow out of control, forming a mass or sheet of cells called a tumor which can eventually spread to other parts of the body.
Symptoms – Change in the size or shape of the breast, nipple discharge that occurs suddenly, is bloody or occurs in only 1 breast, physical changes, such as a nipple turned inward or a sore in the nipple area, skin irritation or changes, such as puckering, dimpling, scaliness, or new creases, pain in the breast that does not go away.
9. Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer begins when healthy cells in 1 or both kidneys change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a renal cortical tumor that can be malignant, indolent, or benign.
Symptoms – Blood in the urine, pain or pressure in the side or back, a mass or lump in the side or back, swelling of the ankles and legs, high blood pressure.
10. Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a situation of healthy cells in the lung changing and growing out of control while forming a mass called a tumor or a nodule that carry cancer cells which can float all the way to other body parts through blood.
Symptoms – Fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, coughing up blood, unintentional weight loss, hoarseness.
11. Oral Cancer
Cancer of the oral cavity develops in the head and neck region disturbing our ability to chew, swallow, breathe, and talk.
Symptoms – Sore in the mouth or on the lip that does not heal; this is the most common symptom, red or white patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth, lump on the lip, mouth, neck, or throat or a feeling of thickening in the cheek, a persistent sore throat or feeling that something is caught in the throat, hoarseness or change in voice.
12. Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer begins when healthy cells in the lining of the colon or rectum change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor.
Symptoms – A change in bowel habits, diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely, bright red or very dark blood in the stool, stools that look narrower or thinner than normal, discomfort in the abdomen, including frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, and cramps, weight loss with no known explanation, constant tiredness or fatigue, unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, which is a low number of red blood cells.
13. Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is a disease in which healthy cells in the pancreas stop working correctly and grow out of control. A pancreatic tumor can affect the function of the pancreas, grow into nearby blood vessels and organs, and eventually spread to other parts of the body through a process called metastasis.
Symptoms – Pain in the upper abdomen or upper back, painful swelling of an arm or leg due to a blood clot, burning feeling in the stomach or other gastrointestinal discomforts, stomach bloating, floating stools with a particularly bad odor and an unusual color due to the body not digesting fats well, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.