Similar to other diseases, cancer can show symptoms that vary from one person to another. The symptoms of cancer depend on the location, the size and the other areas to where the cancer has spread. However, sometimes cancers such as lung cancer do not show any symptoms in its early stages. The symptoms of cancer only become clear in its final stage, resulting in a prognosis than is not necessarily good. This is why many people are very shocked knowing that they are diagnosed with final stage of cancer given that they did not have any symptoms earlier.
Nevertheless, there are some common symptoms of cancer that you can watch out for. Unexplained weight loss is one of the symptoms, although it might also be a symptom of other conditions such as diabetes or depression. However, if you suddenly experience this symptom, it is recommended to see a doctor to find out the cause. Losing a significant amount of weight can possibly be a symptom of lung, stomach or pancreas cancer. Another common symptom is fatigue. The same as with weight loss, fatigue is often associated with other conditions such as infectious or metabolic disorders. However, if you experience severe exhaustion that persists even though you have taken bed rest, it can be an indication of cancer too. Fever is also one symptom of cancer and prolonged fever can be a clear indication that the cancer cells have spread to other areas of the body. Fever can also be an indication of the immune system that is affected by the cancer, such as in leukemia. If you experience either fatigue and fever or both, especially if they persist, getting medical assistance and an examination is highly recommended. Those three common symptoms of cancer are the result of the cancer cells that also need nutrition to live, and therefore the cells consume your body's energy supply. Certain substances of the cancer are also able to change how the body absorbs energy from the food it consumes. The symptoms can also be the outcome of how your immune system fights the cancer cells.
In addition to all the common symptoms of cancer above, persistent and prolonged pain in some part of the body can also be a sign of cancer. A very common pain that people have is headache, which most of the times is associated with other conditions. However, if you experience prolonged and sharp headaches and the pain increases when you tip your head forward, as well as experience with memory loss, it might be a sign of cancer such as a brain tumor. Back pain can also be a sign of cancer including lung cancer. Another symptom that is more obvious is skin changes. For instance, liver cancer often causes yellowish skin and eyes; breast cancer causes reddened, itchy and extracted skin around the breast and so on.
Knowing the most common symptoms of cancer and checking yourself at the doctor if any of those symptoms exist is important. By doing so, cancer can be found earlier and the survival rate will be higher.
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