Cancer: 15 symptoms that women should not ignore

Symptoms are the language that the body uses to communicate. Let’s hear it.

1. Many women would be excited to lose weight abruptly, without reducing calorie intake or increasing exercise. But this is not normal. A loss of, e.g. 4 kilos in a month, may be due to thyroid over-activity, but also to cancer.
2. Several women have learned to live with flatulence and bloating in the belly, as spastic colitis is a common psychosomatic condition. However, if bloating is daily and for several weeks or if it is accompanied by problems while urination, ovarian cancer should be excluded.
3. Women must have their breasts “mapped” so they can notice any change in the colour or texture of the skin, in the position of their nipples or the appearance of a new tumour. Any of these imposes a doctor’s examination.
4. Non-period bleeding, especially if it is unusual for a woman who has a period, may be due to cervical cancer. Any bleeding in a woman in the menopause should be checked due to the possibility of endometrial cancer. Bleeding from the intestine can be a sign of colon cancer.
5. A changing mole or a change in colour, itching, hardening or exfoliation of the skin lasting a few weeks also require control. The same applies to the skin of the vulva, where these symptoms may be due to inflammation, but we cannot exclude cancer, especially at older ages.
6. The difficulty in swallowing may be associated with oesophagal cancer.
7. Indigestion – many women may remember the symptom they had in their pregnancy – may be cancer of the stomach.
8. Blood in the wrong place such as urine, stools or sputum is worthy of checking.
9. In particular, smokers should check the possible appearance of white plaques or spots in the oral cavity or tongue. They may be pre-cancerous lesions.
10. The pain that persists should not be ignored.
11. If a lymph node in the armpit, throat or elsewhere, has grown and remains so for more than a month, it may require examination and biopsy.
12. A fever that persists and is not attributable to an infection may be due to metastatic cancer or to lymphoma or leukaemia.
13. Unexplained fatigue is an important reason for a medical consultation.
14. A cough can be due to a disease, allergy or asthma, but if it persists for more than 3-4 weeks and does not subside with treatment, lung cancer should be excluded, especially if the woman is a smoker.
15. Disorders in the stools, the occurrence of constipation while it did not exist before, or alternations with diarrhoea, are also a reason to visit a doctor