Cancer Society of America | Early Detection

Being aware of cancer symptoms is very helpful!
It’s well known that the earlier you discover the cancer, the better the outcome will be! It’s much better to diagnose cancer while it’s small in size and before it has
spread. Chances of a full recovery and cure through surgery by removing the tumor in early stages is much higher than diagnosing it in the late stage.

Spread of Cancerous cells
It’s important to know and be aware of general symptoms of cancer, however one needs to remember that those symptoms are general, and they can be in any
illness. In other words, the symptoms are not only specific for cancer, so don’t panic if you experienced any of them. Just refer to your doctor as soon as possible.

Different types of Cancer
Most cancer patients lose their weight for unknown reason in a short period of time. For instance, it will be significant and if you lose more than 10 pounds in less than
a month, while you are not on a diet and there is no good reason to explain this loss. This is especially true with lung, pancreatic, and colon cancers.

Not all tumors are cancer!
Many of patients with cancer experienced fever for unknown causes. The presence of fever usually indicates the spread of cancer; fever is usually late symptom in
cancer patients. Some cancers such as leukemia “blood cancer” and lymphoma “lymph node cancer” may cause fever in early stages.

Extreme fatigue that does not relived with rest
Cancer can produce fatigue symptom by two ways; either by consuming the body energy while growing fast, or by causing insensible blood loss such as colon cancer
when patient is losing blood with stool.

Pain
Pain can be an early symptom such as with bone cancer, or it can be a late symptom that indicates metastasis of cancer. For example, back pain may be due to
metastatic cancer from colon, rectum, breast or ovary.

Abnormal Changes in Skin
Abnormal changes in skin could be a sign of skin cancer, or with any metastatic cancer to the skin. Those changes include:
1- Change in color of skin becomes darker, yellowish or reddish,
2- Itching all over the body,
3- Abnormal sudden hair growth.

Why people are hesitant when it comes to early detection of cancer?

In a research conducted based on a general population, it was found that 90% of people are somehow hesitant to report due to some cultural beliefs.
Most people are afraid because they think cancer is almost a death sentence and there will be no treatment for it.
Some class of people are just simply careless. Ignorance is another fact.

Suggested guidelines to detect a cancer early

Undergoing periodic screening tests if you are in doubt or if you are in risk. That is one of the best strategy.
Meet your doctor soon if you feel headache that doesn’t stop, pressure in your head, tears in the eyes, feeling of irritation as it can be an indication of brain
tumor.
Be alert and act quickly especially if you are 50 plus years old in age, or if your family had similar type of illness before.
Women who use implants, steroidal drugs, and planning for pregnancy methods need to watche for cervical and reproductive tract cancers. In such cases,
examine yourself for bleeding, mass or lump, urinary obstruction, pain, etc.
Self breast examination is one of the best strategies for early detection of breast cancer.
Changes in the systemic functions need to be alerted quickly.
Routine blood tests and tissue examinations are recommended in case of any suspicion.

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Prevention is better than cure, it is a common saying that also applies
for cancer. 70% of all cancer deaths are due to advancement of illness
as they were not detected early in stage 1 or 2. Detecting a cancer early,
not only will help its treatment, but also can make the illness permanently
eradicated with appropriate action at appropriate time. It is recommended
to go for a routine examination which can be systemic, general physical
examination, or specific biochemical assays. More often a doctor can find
a sign of cancer while she/he was examining or while treating the patient for
something else other than cancer. A lots of times cancer symptoms can be
unnoticed for a long period of time which makes it difficult to identify the
illness. Losing weight for no reasons in a short period of time, a sore that
doesn’t heal, pain, anemia, weakness, difficulty in breathing, nagging cough,
altered urination and bowel pattern need to be carefully reported!

Tips for early detection of cancer

1. Whenever you visit a cancer center or any general clinic, address your issues properly especially if related to any familial tendencies,
previous episode and history of smoking, prolonged usage of certain drugs, etc. Reveal the history of your illness and all initial symptoms
in detail. Check ups, blood tests, CT scan, MRI and all routine examinations are important steps in detecting initial cancer stages.

2. Inform your doctor whether you are on a regular schedule for self examination like in case of self breast examination.

3. Inform your doctor whether you have undergone any surgical procedure for treating cancer before.

4. Participate in mobile and free cancer detection camps that are conducted periodically by oncology centers.

5. Any suspicion sign need to be quickly reported. You need to consult with your doctor If you notice anything that is not healing after
some period of time, or anything that is growing progressively.

PREVENTION

EARLY DETECTION

RISK FACTORS

TIPS & RESOURCES

FOOD & CANCER

CAUSE

SYMPTOMS

DIAGNOSIS

TREATMENT
Surgery
Radiation
Chemotherapy
Immunotherapy

DIET & NUTRITION

NATURAL DEFENSES

ANTIOXIDANT

VITAMIN D & CANCER

IMMUNE SYSTEM

KETOGENIC DIET

STRESS AND CANCER

EXERCISE & CANCER

ALKALINE VS. ACIDIC

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CANCER SOCIETY
OF AMERICA

Early Detection of Cancer