Warning Signs of Cancer
This booklet aims to advise people of the signs of cancer and the initial assessment of these signs.
Introduction to signs of cancer
The risk for any individual to develop cancer in their lifetime is almost 40%.
The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the higher the chance the individual will survive.
Having an early sign of cancer does not mean you have cancer.
It is important to get medical advice if you have any signs of cancer.
Some signs of cancer are non-specific like fever or weight loss.
Some signs of cancer are related to the area they happen in like blood in urine.
Difference between screening programmes and signs of cancer
A screening programme detects cancer before the patient has any symptoms.
It may detect early or late cancer.
It may detect lesions that may develop later into cancer.
What are the warning signs of cancer?
If you notice any change in what is normal for you, you should have it checked out.
Some cancers will develop without the signs listed below, so check any worrying changes in your body.
General cancer symptoms include:
Unexplained or prolonged fever.
Unexpected bruising.
Night sweats.
Unexplained pain.
Loss of appetite.
Fatigue.
Unintentional loss of weight.
Unusual or recently noticed lumps.
Unexplained or prolonged fever include:
This fever has no apparent cause and keeps returning or does not go away.
Other common causes of fever include:
Infections.
Heat stroke.
Inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Night sweats
Very heavy night sweats can be a sign of cancer.
Other common causes of night sweats include:
Menopause (hot flushes).
Low blood sugar.
Drugs and alcohol abuse.
Anxiety.
Loss of appetite
Tumours can produce chemicals that reduce the appetite, or they can press on the intestinal system.
Other common causes of loss of appetite include:
Infections.
Dementia.
Diabetes.
Other conditions of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.
Unintentional loss of weight
Weight loss without a clear cause can be the first sign of cancer.
Other common causes of weight loss include:
Mental health diseases.
Bowel diseases like coeliac disease.
Diabetes.
Overactive thyroid.
Unexpected bruising
Recurrent large bruises with no apparent cause,
particularly if they are dark and irregularly shaped, may be a sign of cancer.
Other common causes of bruising include:
Unnoticed injuries.
Medicines that stop the blood clotting like aspirin.
Unexplained pain
If there is no clear cause for the pain and it is persistent and increasing, then it may be a sign of cancer.
Other common causes of pain include:
Spine and joint problems.
Psychological conditions like stress.
Fatigue
Feeling tired all the time even after rest can be a sign of cancer.
Other common causes of fatigue include:
Poor sleeping habits.
Lack of exercise.
Thyroid gland problems.
Mental health issues like stress.
Unusual or recently noticed lumps
Lumps related to cancer are usually hard and painless.
Other common causes of lumps include:
Skin tags.
Lipoma.
Infection.
Cysts.
Signs of cancer by body area symptoms
There might be other reasons for any of these symptoms, but they are better checked out.
Speak to your health care provider.
Mouth symptoms
Difficulty swallowing.
Ulcers in the mouth or tongue that do not heal.
Head and neck symptoms
Changes in your voice.
Chest symptoms
Feeling out of breath all the time.
A cough that does not go away.
Coughing blood.
Breast symptoms
Change in the size or shape of the breast.
Feeling a lump.
Leaking fluid from the nipple.
Change in the position or look of the nipple.
Abdominal symptoms
Feeling bloated all the time.
Having indigestion all the time.
Having heartburn all the time.
Symptoms on passing urine
Blood in the urine.
Difficulty when peeing.
Going to pee more often.
Having an uncontrolled urgency to pee.
Symptoms in bowel movements
Blood in stools.
Change in bowel habits like constipation or diarrhoea.
Symptoms affecting biological females
Bleeding after the menopause.
Bleeding after sex.
Unscheduled vaginal bleeding.
Symptoms affecting biological males
Blood in semen.
Pain in hips.
Painful ejaculation.
How is cancer diagnosed?
If you have a symptom of cancer or a screening test that suggests a high risk of cancer,
your doctor will discuss the finding with you.
They will usually start by taking a medical history.
They may do a physical examination.
They may perform some preliminary investigations.
They may refer you to a specialist.
The specialist may repeat and/or request further investigations.
Investigations used to diagnose and assess cancers
There are many tests that may be used.
They differ by the type of symptom and the location of the suspected cancer.
These tests include:
Laboratory tests
These tests look for changes in certain substance in the body that may represent a sign of cancer.
They may also detect cancer cells.
They include:
Blood Tests
These include:
Complete blood count.
Blood chemistry.
Tumour markers
These measure certain proteins in the blood or other tissues.
These proteins may rise in cases of cancer.
There may be other reasons for the tumour markers to rise besides cancer.
Cytology tests
These are lab tests that search for abnormal looking cells.
This may be done from different samples from the body, including sputum or fluids from cysts.
Cytogenic analysis
These are lab tests that search for abnormal chromosomes.
A sample may be needed from different areas like blood or the tumour or bone marrow.
Imaging tests
The best imaging technique differs by the type of cancer.
Sometimes a single imaging technique is not enough to diagnose or assess a cancer.
The imaging test gives information used to diagnose the cancer, check for spread and monitor it.
Common techniques include:
X-ray.
CT scan.
MRI.
Ultrasound.
Nuclear Scans.
PET Scans.
Taking biopsies
This is a procedure where the doctor takes a sample from the suspected tissue.
A pathologist reviews it under a microscope.
There are different ways to obtain a biopsy, which include:
Needle biopsy
A needle is inserted into the suspected area under a form of imaging.
A small amount of tissue is retrieved.
Endoscopy
This is a camera that enters the body through a natural opening like the mouth or anus.
It allows the doctor to see the tumour and take the biopsy.
Common endoscopies include a colonoscopy (for the colon) or a hysteroscopy (for the uterus).
Procedure to remove part of the tumour
A small part of the suspected area is removed.
This may be a small procedure in the clinic.
It may be done as an operation.
Procedure to remove all of the tumour
Sometimes the suspected area is small enough to be removed completely during the biopsy.