Early warning signs of cancer
\nThe prognosis in most cases of cancer depends largely on the availability of
\ntreatments, and how early the cancer is detected. If a tumour can be detected at
\nan early stage, the possibilities for curative treatment are generally significantly
\nbetter than if a patient presents with more advanced disease. One approach is
\ntherefore to educate the public on the early warning signs of cancer. These are
\nsometimes divided into the following 7 groups of signs and symptoms.
\nUnusual bleeding or discharge
\nThe cause of any unexplained bleeding should always be ascertained. For example
\nhaematuria is commonly caused by infection and may also result from trauma;
\nhowever it may also be a feature of malignancy. Blood in the urine may derive
\nfrom any part of the urinary system so may be from the kidneys, ureters, bladder
\nor urethra. Any blood in urine is an abnormal finding. If a trace of blood is
\ndetected on a routine dip stick test, this is abnormal and so should be explained.
\nIn females blood in the urine during menstruation should not be assumed to
\nbe menstrual contamination. This means the test should be repeated in two
\nweeks time when the woman is mid-cycle.
\nBleeding from the gastrointestinal tract also has many possible causes, however
\nif haematemesis or melaena are seen, malignancy is a possibility. Detection of
\noccult blood in faeces is also an abnormal finding and should be explained.
\nDischarges may be a feature of early malignant disease. Discharges themselves
\nusually indicate infection and are composed of inflammatory fluids, bacteria
\nand white blood cells. When a tumour grows it distorts the normal anatomy of
\nan area. This results in a disordered local tissue structure which may increase
\nthe probability of infection. For example, a tumour in a bronchial passage may
\npartly obstruct the bronchial lumen. This will inhibit the normal clearance of
\nmucus, leading to an area of stasis in the airways, distal to the tumour. Stasis
\nwill lead to infection which may be difficult to clear and is likely to recur.
\nTherefore infection may be an early indicator of malignancy.
\nDischarges from the urethra may indicate a urinary malignancy. An early
\nsign of breast cancer may be a discharge from the nipple. Vaginal discharges are
\nalso abnormal andcould indicate infection, secondary to malignancy in the
\ncervix or uterus.
\nA sore which does not heal
\nA sore on any part of the body could be a malignant ulceration. These will not
\nheal as a normal lesion does because the malignant process is ongoing, making
\nthe condition progressively worse. Warning signs may include a lesion which
\ndoes not seem to be healing as normal or is getting bigger for no apparent
\nreason. Other potential features of malignancy are increasing pain or a lesion
\nstarting to bleed.
\nA skin lesion which progresses and does not heal may be a basal cell carcinoma
\n(also sometimes called a rodent ulcer). These are normally caused by excessive
\nexposure to direct sunlight and are the most common malignant tumour of
\nthe skin. Basal cell carcinomas grow locally but fortunately they rarely metastasize.
\nSquamous cell carcinomas may also arise in the skin and these are highly likely
\nto metastasize if not resected. Collectively these skin lesions are classified as
\nnon-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Early warning signs of cancer The prognosis in most cases of cancer depends largely on the availability of treatments, and how early the cancer is detected. If a tumour can be detected at an early stage, the possibilities for curative treatment are generally significantly better than if a patient presents with more advanced disease. One […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":7701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1460,1538,1537],"class_list":["post-7700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming","tag-cancer","tag-early-warning-signe-of-cancer","tag-early-warnings","post_format-post-format-video"],"yoast_head":"\n