You hear the word ‘Cancer’ commonly when one talks about killer diseases. The word itself indicates a condition in which cell growth happens at an uncontrolled and abnormal rate.
The word ‘Cancer’, in itself, only says that there is a growth that threatens to spread to other parts of the body. You have to specify where the cancerous growth is located. Further, the stage of the growth, when it’s discovered, and the seriousness of each case – all these details matter. They govern the chances of survival and recovery of cancer victims.
You can see why it’s important to identify a cancerous tumour as early as possible. It helps to decide whether the tumour is harmful or not, and the line of treatment to be undertaken. When tumours are detected early and addressed immediately, their growth can be contained.
As soon as an uncontrolled growth is suspected, a spectrum of tests is conducted to check if the tumour is cancerous or benign. Benign tumours do not have the potential to spread to other parts of the body.
Oftentimes, a biopsy is necessary to confirm the presence of cancer.
Cancer caused by the use of tobacco is specifically worth mentioning. More than 20% of cancer cases are caused by tobacco. Other reasons are obesity, nutritional deficiency, a sedentary lifestyle, and consumption of alcohol.
Cancer indicators are fairly innocuous at first. Be warned that similar symptoms can be observed among other common ailments too.
Here are some of the simplest cancer symptoms common to both men and women:
There are specific indications that women need to watch out for:
For men concerned about watching for cancer, some common symptoms to follow-up are:
One cannot say that these symptoms are exclusive to a certain type of cancer, or even of cancer at all. There could be several other conditions causing these symptoms. A selection of methods is available for screening various types of cancer.
Dr. Aparna Sreevatsa, Consultant – Medical Oncology, Oncology | Sahyadri Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Shimoga
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