Early Warning Symptoms for Cancer

The number of us (men) expected to get cancer is up from 1 in 40 for those born in 1970 to 1 in 3 for those born after 1985. It is therefore important to be alert to the various early warning symptoms of cancer. The point is not to become a neurotic hypochondriac, totally obsessed with the idea that any vague symptoms we might develop is almost certainly the result of cancer, but to know which specific symptoms to have checked out by your doctor

The actual cause of one of these symptoms is often something much less serious. However, ruling out cancer will put your mind at rest and in those few cases where cancer is confirmed, treatment can be started before too much damage is done and before the cancer has advanced to a stage where it can no longer be dealt with successfully.

Some early warning cancer symptoms are:

1/ blood in urine
2/ unexplained weight loss
3/ headaches that persist or recur
4/ change in shape, size or firmness of a testicle
5/ bruising without injury
6/ a mole that changes shape, size or colour, bleeds or itches
7/ a scab, sore or ulcer that fails to heal within 3 weeks
8/ a persistent patch inside the mouth
9/ rectal bleeding, particularly when blood is mixed with faeces
10/ coughing up blood
11/ hoarseness that recurs or persists for longer than one week
12/ unexplained lumps or bumps
13/ swallowing difficulty that persists
14/ unexplained constipation or diarrhoea that is prolonged for more than a week

Lowering the Risk of Cancer

Scientific evidence have shown that many cancers are linked to the food we eat. By eating the right kind of food, we reduce the risk to cancer.

Here are some recommendations from the American Institute for Cancer:

1/ reduce your intake of both saturated and unsaturated fats.
2/ increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
3/ consume less salt-cured, smoked and charcoal broiled foods
4/ drink alcohol in moderation
5/ avoid smoking

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