VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Patryk Jasielski

Neoplastic diseases are currently one of the most common causes of death among adults, especially in the elderly. They can develop in virtually all tissues and organs in the body. Depending on the location, they can be associated with different symptoms. Most neoplasms, however, develop asymptomatically for a long time or cause non-specific and mild symptoms. Which signals should not be taken lightly?

A developing neoplasm causes many unfavorable changes in the body's metabolism. For its development, it needs large energy resources, which it takes from he althy tissues and thus weakens them. The growth of the tumor itself and the formation of metastases also causes the appearance of various ailments. In the beginning, they can be non-specific and explained by other reasons, e.g. a lot of work. Here are the top 10 ignored symptoms that cancer can cause.

Weight Loss

It is one of the most common first symptoms of various cancers. However, it is also found in many other diseases. Especially in those where the appetite is weakened. Unintentional and uncontrolled weight loss is disturbing. This is a situation in which, despite the lack of changes in the diet or physical activity, weight loss is observed.

A significant weight loss is a decrease of 10% over a period of no more than 6 months ( although this usually occurs within a few weeks). If you observe unintentional weight loss, it is worth consulting a doctor and performing basic tests, as the developing disease may be responsible for it.

Constant fatigue, weakness and apathy

The feeling of fatigue accompanies everyone from time to time. However, its daily occurrence, which makes it difficult to function and occurs despite rest, should be a cause for concern.

It is a common symptom of many diseases, including cancer. It coexists with weakness, apathy and weight loss. Lasting for a long time and reducing the quality of life, it is an indication to see a doctor.

Bone pain

Another symptom observed in neoplastic diseases is bone pain.They appear in different locations. However, they usually concern the lumbar spine. They can be confused with the pain of a common degenerative spine disease and discopathy and thus ignored.

Neoplastic bone pain, however, may also apply to other locations. The appearance of such a symptom without the previous occurrence of back pain, or their intensification and long-term maintenance, despite the use of drugs, is an indication for an urgent visit to a doctor and extension of diagnosis.

Night sweats

Another common systemic symptom of cancer is the appearance of night sweats. A person experiencing this symptom may wake up at night drenched in sweat and in soaked pajamas.

This condition has been seen especially in blood cancers (lymphomas and leukemias), but also occurs in others.

In case of heat or infections, night sweats shouldn't be a concern. However, when they occur for no obvious reason and are annoying, they should not be underestimated.

Chronic cough

Chronic cough can have many causes. Most often it is associated with the flow of secretions down the back of the throat and smoking. However, its long-term duration (over 8 weeks) should be cause for concern.

Another particularly dangerous phenomenon is the change in the nature of a chronic cough, i.e. a long-lasting dry cough becomes wet or vice versa. Do not ignore this symptom, but see a doctor as soon as possible.

Enlarged lymph nodes

Lymph nodes are a build-up of lymph tissue that helps to defend the body against infections and circulate the lymph. They are located in groups throughout the body. He althy ones are very small (less than 1 cm) and usually cannot be felt by touch.

They can enlarge in many situations. Not every situation like this should be a cause for concern. They most often increase in size as a result of nearby inflammation, mainly in the course of infection (e.g. frequent enlargement of the lymph nodes around the jaw and neck during angina).

There are features that may indicate cancerous enlargement of the lymph nodes. They include:

  • Generalized lymphadenopathy. In inflammation situations, enlargement is usually limited to one location.
  • The consistency of the knots - hard may suggest a neoplastic process.
  • Painless enlargement of the nodes - their soreness indicates a rapid enlargement, which indicates an inflammatory process, not a cancer.
  • Displacement of nodes relative to the skin andsubstrate - the lack of this feature is observed in the case of neoplastic magnification
  • Creation of nodal packages - nodal changes have a tendency to form uniform masses.

Recurrent diarrhea and / or constipation, changes in bowel habits

Another often ignored symptom that can appear in cancer is problems related to defecation. This is especially true of the alternating occurrence of diarrhea and constipation (constipation every few days, followed by diarrhea, or vice versa) for no obvious reason to explain it, especially in old age.

Persistent constipation may be a cause for concern, especially with proper treatment. They can be accompanied by the so-called pencil-shaped stools, that is, narrowed in shape. The emergence of such problems in the elderly should prompt them to visit a doctor and expand diagnostics.

Unusual bleeding

Unusual bleeding is also a disturbing symptom. These are considered to be:

  • Vaginal bleeding in women between periods or any postmenopausal women.
  • Bleeding from the digestive system in the form of black tarry stools and fresh blood in stools or on toilet paper.
  • Cough with expectoration of bloody sputum.
  • The appearance of bloody red urine, especially with blood clots.
  • Persistent nose and mouth bleeding.

Each of the above bleeding should cause concern and is an indication for consultation with a doctor. There can be many reasons, but they require careful diagnostics.

Headache and dizziness with vomiting

Headache occurs in practically every person. There can be many reasons for this. Most often it is the so-called tension headache associated with fatigue, insufficient sleep, water or food. However, this symptom sometimes also occurs in brain tumors. Its main features are:

  • Appearing mainly in the morning and decreasing during the day.
  • Accompanying morning vomiting that reduces the headache.
  • Chronic occurrence of pain.
  • Co-occurrence of neurological symptoms such as sensory disturbances, muscle weakness, dizziness or walking problems.

Appearance of birthmarks on the skin

Another disturbing and often ignored symptom is pigmentary changes in the form of birthmarks on the skin. They can appear all over the body. Most of them are found on the skin exposed to the sun. Each person can have a different amount depending on the skin phototype.

Features thatsuggest that these are changes that do not arouse concern are:

  • Regular, symmetrical build.
  • Well demarcated edges.
  • Uniform distribution of the dye.
  • Size up to 5 mm.
  • Not zooming in on the change.

If a nevus begins to grow and loses its boundaries, the pigment within it is unevenly distributed or an ulcer has appeared, it is an indication for an urgent visit to a dermatologist to assess the nevus.

Category:

Oncology