World Cancer Day is celebrated every year on 4 February. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about cancer and educate people about its risks and early symptoms so that it can be detected and treated timely. The theme of this year’s World Cancer Day is ‘United by Unique’. World Cancer Day was first observed at the World Cancer Summit for the Millennium in Paris in 2000. Since then, World Cancer Day is celebrated every year, and government and non-governmental organizations make efforts to improve cancer prevention, protection, and treatment, and organize various events to raise awareness among more people. When cancer begins to develop in the body, warning signs begin to appear. If it is not treated, it can be fatal. Therefore, here are some early symptoms or warning signs of cancer which are important to recognize in time.
What are the 7 warning signs of cancer?
Weight loss – Weight loss without any reason can be an early symptom of cancer. Especially if you lose 4 to 5 kilograms in a short period of time without even trying, this could be a warning sign.
Constant fatigue – Feeling tired all the time can be an early symptom of cancer. The person may also find it difficult to do his daily tasks.
Persistent pain – If you have persistent pain in the head, back, stomach or bones, it could be a symptom of cancer.
Bleeding without any reason – In women, vaginal bleeding or white discharge can be a symptom of cancer. Additionally, blood in the stool, blood in the urine, or vomiting blood is not normal in both men and women.
Lumps on the body – Another warning sign of cancer is the sudden appearance of a lump on any part of the body. This lump may be painless and usually appears on the chest, neck, genitals or armpit.
Non-healing wounds – If there is a wound in the mouth or on any part of the body and does not heal even after several days, it is important to get it checked by a doctor.
Difficulty swallowing – Difficulty swallowing may occur in cases of mouth cancer, throat cancer, esophagus cancer, or stomach or chest cancer. If this difficulty persists for 3 to 4 weeks, it could be a symptom of cancer.
Symptoms of different types of cancer
Breast cancer symptoms
In breast cancer, a lump may form in the breast or armpit, which may or may not cause pain.
The shape and size of the breasts begin to change, and one breast begins to look different from the other.
The skin color changes and may appear red.
Breast skin may look like an orange peel.
The nipples may appear sunken inward.
There may be white discharge from the nipple.
Lung cancer symptoms
Cough may last for 3 to 4 weeks.
There is difficulty in breathing all the time.
There is pain in the chest.
Infection occurs again and again.
There may be blood in the mucus.
Intestinal cancer symptoms
In intestinal cancer, there may be blood in the stool.
There is a change in defecation habits.
Stool may be thin, pencil-like.
There is pain in the stomach, often swelling and discomfort.
There may be unexplained weight loss, piles, or constant fatigue.
skin cancer symptoms
Moles on the body do not look completely the same. The mole looks different on both sides; It is not round.
The spot or mole is not of regular shape or looks blurry. Different colored spots start appearing on the skin, such as brown, black, red, white or blue.
These spots or moles appear larger than 6 mm.
These spots keep changing in size, shape and color. These may also cause itching.
