WARNING SIGNS FOR CANCER
BREAST CANCER
When you do your monthly breast self-exam, check for the following changes
- Redness, a rash or a thickening of the skin on the breast, which could indicate INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER, a very rare but aggressive form of breast cancer
- If you aren’t breast feeding & you notice discharge see your doctor
- If your nipple is outgoing normally & it turns in & this is not a common occurance
- Swollem lymph nodes under your armpit that seem to grow larger
- Swollen lymph nodes In your neck
- If you see any of the changes listed above you need to see a doctor
- Make sure to tell your doctor if you have any infections because they could explain a
lymph node enlargement - Expect your doctor to take a careful history,examine the breast & order tests such as a mammogram, ultrasound MRI & possibly a biopsy
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BLOATING
OVARIAN CANCER
In addition to bloating other symptoms may include
- Abdominal pain
- Pelvic pain
- Feeling full quickly even when you haven't eaten much
- Having an urgent need to urinate
- If the bloating occurs almost every day & persists for more than a few weeks, you should
consult your physician - Expect your doctor to take a careful history
- Order a CT scan, blood test & possibly more tests
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BETWEEN PERIOD BLEEDING
OR OTHER UNUSUAL BLEEDING
PRE MENOPAUSAL WOMEN
- Usually ignore between period bleeding & bleeding from the GI tract mistakenly thinking it is from their period
- If you are regular & you have between period bleeding, you need to be checked out by your doctor
POST MENOPAUSAL WOMEN
ENDOMETRIAL CANCER OR COLORECTAL CANCER
- There is a concern that bleeding could be a symptom of one of these cancers
- Expect your doctor to take a careful history & depending on the timing of the bleeding & other symptoms, your doctor will probably order an ultrasound or biopsy
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SKIN CHANGES
SKIN CANCER
Most of us know to look for any changes in moles but we should also watch for
- Changes in skin pigmentation
- If you suddenly develop bleeding on your skin or excessive scaling, don't wait longer than a
few weeks to see a doctor
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UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS
- 10 pounds in a month without an increase in exercise or a decrease in food intake is too
sudden a weight loss - If it’s not cancer it may be an overactive thyroid
- You should be checked out by your doctor
- Expect your doctor to give you a CT scan of different organs & run tests to check your thyroid
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DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING
CANCER OF THE ESOPHAGUS
- If you have difficulty swallowing that could be a sign of throat cancer
- Expect your doctor to take a careful history & order tests such as a chest X-ray or exams of
the GI tract
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BLOOD IN THE WRONG PLACE
COLON CANCER
- If you notice blood in your urine or your stool, don’t assume it's from a hemorrhoid, it could be COLON CANCER
- Expect your doctor to ask questions & order testing such as a colonoscopy, an exam of the colont look for cancer
BLADDER CANCER or KIDNEY CANCER
- Coughing up blood more than once should be evaluated
- Seeing blood in the toilet bowl may actually be from the vagina if a woman is menstruating
but if not, it should be checked to rule out the above cancers
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HARSH ABDOMINAL PAIN & DEPRESSION
PANCREATIC CANCER
- If you have pain in your abdomen & are feeling depressed you need a checkup
- Some researchers have found a link between depression & PANCREATIC CANCER
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INDIGESTION
ESOPHAGUS CANCER or STOMACH CANCER or THROAT CANCER
- Indigestion for no apparent reason could be an early clue to one of these cancers
- Expect your doctor to take a careful history & ask questions about the indigestion before deciding which tests to order, if any
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MOUTH CHANGES
ORAL CANCER
- Smokers should be especially alert for any white patches inside the mouth or white spots on
the tongue - Both can point to a pre-cancerous condition called leukoplakia that can progress to ORAL CANCER
- Ask your dentist or doctor to take a look & decide what should be done next
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PAIN
- Pain that persists & is unexplained needs to be checked out
- Expect your doctor to take a careful history & based on this information will decide what
further testing, if any, is needed
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FEVER
BLOOD CANCERS
LEUKEMIA or LYMPHOMA
- If you have a fever that isn't explained by the flu or an infection, it could point to a blood cancer
- Fevers more often occur after cancer has spread from its original site, but it can also point to early LEUKEMIA OR LYMPHOMA
- Other cancer symptoms can include jaundice, or a change in the color of your stool
- Expect your doctor to conduct a careful physical exam & take a medical history & then order tests such as a chest X-ray, CT scan, MRI, or more tests, depending on the findings
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FATIGUE
LEUKEMIA or COLON CANCER or STOMACH CANCERS
Fatigue is a vague symptom that could point to cancer OR many other problems
- Fatigue can set in after the cancer has grown
- Fatigue may also occur early in certain cancers in the above listed cancers
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PERSISTENT COUGH
LUNG CANCER
- Coughs are expected with colds, the flu, allergies & sometimes as a side effect of medications
- A cough lasting more than three or four weeks may be a sign of LUNG CANCER & shouldn't
be ignored - Expect your doctor to take a careful history, examine your throat, check out how your lung is functioning, give you a breathing test & may order X-rays especially if you're a smoker
This page is dedicated to a subscriber
who asked us to give women more information
as to how to detect breast cancer
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Cancer Fighting Foods | Cancer Symptoms Women & Men Shouldn't Ignore
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