Introduction
Cancer is a serious and potentially deadly disease, and it’s important to be aware of the early warning signs that could indicate you have it. According to experts, there are certain signs and symptoms that could be indicative of cancer, and it’s important to be aware of them so you can seek medical attention if necessary. Eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can also help reduce your risk of developing cancer. In this article, we’ll discuss the early warning signs of cancer, as well as the foods you should eat and avoid to reduce your risk.
Early Warning Signs You Have Deadly Cancer, Say Experts — Eat This Not That
Cancer is a serious and potentially deadly disease, and it’s important to be aware of the early warning signs that could indicate you have it. According to experts, there are several signs that could indicate you have cancer, and it’s important to be aware of them and take action if you experience any of them.
1. Unexplained Weight Loss
Unexplained weight loss is one of the most common early warning signs of cancer. If you’ve been losing weight without trying, it could be a sign that something is wrong. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you’ve been losing weight without trying.
2. Unexplained Fatigue
Unexplained fatigue is another common early warning sign of cancer. If you’ve been feeling unusually tired, even after getting plenty of rest, it could be a sign that something is wrong. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you’ve been feeling unusually tired.
3. Unexplained Pain
Unexplained pain is another common early warning sign of cancer. If you’ve been experiencing pain that doesn’t seem to have an obvious cause, it could be a sign that something is wrong. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you’ve been experiencing unexplained pain.
4. Changes in Bowel Habits
Changes in bowel habits can also be an early warning sign of cancer. If you’ve been experiencing changes in your bowel habits, such as constipation or diarrhea, it could be a sign that something is wrong. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you’ve been experiencing changes in your bowel habits.
5. Unexplained Lumps or Swelling
Unexplained lumps or swelling can also be an early warning sign of cancer. If you’ve been experiencing lumps or swelling that don’t seem to have an obvious cause, it could be a sign that something is wrong. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you’ve been experiencing unexplained lumps or swelling.
What to Do If You Experience Any of These Symptoms
If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to talk to your doctor right away. Your doctor can help you determine if there is a cause for concern and can provide you with the appropriate treatment if necessary.
It’s also important to make sure you’re eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise can help reduce your risk of developing cancer and can help you stay healthy overall.
Cancer can happen to anyone and while it’s incredibly scary to hear a cancer diagnosis, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence if detected early. With new advances in treatments and technology, more people are beating cancer. That said, it’s important to pay attention to your body and recognize signs that could indicate cancer and talk with your doctor immediately. Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with cancer experts who explained what symptoms to watch out for. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Dr. Sandeep Anantha, MD, FACS, FICS, a surgical oncologist at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills (LIJ Forest Hills) in Queens, NY shares, “Most cancer patients experience an unintentional weight loss and this could sometimes be a sign of cancer in certain patients.”
Dr. Anantha says, “Yellow discoloration of skin, eyes and mucous membranes associated with dark colored urine and pale colored stool is a manifestation of jaundice associated with pancreatic cancer.”
Dr. Mark Dylewski, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida states, “The majority of people who present with lung cancer are in the advanced stages: Stage 3 and Stage 4. This is why the mortality rate for lung cancer is so high in the United States and around the world. Most of the time, symptoms don’t occur until it’s more advanced. Usually with Stage 1 disease, which is early stage, it’s either asymptomatic or there may be mild symptoms like a cough. Patients rarely will cough up blood, but this is about the only symptom that can present itself. You have to understand that smokers cough all the time and so a cough in a smoker doesn’t register as an abnormality. It may hide itself for many months – if not years – before the patient recognizes it as an abnormal symptom.”
Dr. Geoffrey Young, Chief of Head & Neck Cancer Surgery at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, regarding head and neck cancers says, “Voice changes (including hoarseness), difficulty or pain when swallowing, mass or lump in the neck, chronic sore throat or cough, difficulty breathing and unexplained weight loss. These are common symptoms of throat cancer. Throat cancer symptoms can vary and often seem similar to symptoms of other chronic diseases. It’s important to see your physician if you have any of these symptoms, especially if any last longer than two weeks.”
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According to Dr. Young, symptoms of oral cavity cancer include: “Mass or lump Inside the mouth or on the neck, difficulty swallowing, blood in saliva and pain in the ears. These can all be signs of oral cavity cancer. Oral cavity cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is a kind of head and neck cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells form in the lips or mouth. Oral cavity cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer, with more than 90 percent of oral cancers occurring in the cells that line the mouth, tongue and lips. Symptoms often can vary, so if you experience these symptoms, especially those that last longer than two weeks, it is important to see your doctor. Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have oral cavity cancer, but if you are diagnosed with the disease and it is detected early, it’s often highly treatable.”
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Dr. Dylewski says, “In the United States, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer. In the past, 60 to 70 percent of lung cancer patients weren’t diagnosed until the cancer was advanced, at Stage Three and Stage Four. With the implementation of screenings, we are catching more patients in the earlier stages – Stage One and Stage Two – where surgery can have a bigger impact.”
Dr. Anantha explains, “Pancreatic cancer continues to be an aggressive cancer even in 2022. This aggressive cancer needs an aggressive treatment strategy consisting of a multimodality approach of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The advances in new chemotherapeutic agents which are more focused on pancreatic cancer and are well tolerated by patients, in addition to better surgical techniques and advanced care in taking care of patients with pancreatic cancer allows for a new hope.”
According to Dr. Anantha, “One of the variants of pancreatic cancer can arise from cystic lesions of the pancreas which are termed as pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Although most of the cystic lesions are benign, there are a few of them that are precancerous and/or cancerous. These patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms need to undergo an ongoing surveillance which requires a visit to the pancreatic surgeon and enroll in the cyst surveillance program with serial imaging sometimes followed by a biopsy. This surveillance program will allow for close monitoring of these cystic neoplasms and assists in early detection of precancerous and/or cancerous transformation, which translates to early diagnosis and treatment.Treating these pancreatic cystic neoplasms in a timely fashion can be a strategy to prevent pancreatic cancer in certain patients.”
Dr. Dylewski adds, “Stop smoking. Smoking is responsible for about 80 percent of lung cancer cases. Lung cancer develops in smokers as a result of the 6,000 to 7,000 co-carcinogens and carcinogens that are released from the tobacco leaf. About 34 million American adults still smoke cigarettes, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and illness in the world.”
Dr. Dylewski says, “It is very easy to identify the person at risk for lung cancer: someone who has smoked or is actively smoking. The only way we as healthcare professionals are going to have a significant impact in improving survival for lung cancer in the short term is to identify them early and treat them early. If you catch 20% more patients in the early stages because of screening, you’re going to impact their survival 20-30. Most Americans don’t realize there is a low-dose CT scan that can detect lung cancer in its earliest stages, even before symptoms are apparent. Simply put, it can be a lifesaving test. While not all lung cancers occur in smokers, those who currently smoke and those who smoked in the past should ask their doctors about being screened. General guidelines recommend low-dose CT scans for those who: Have a 20-pack year history of smoking (this means a pack a day for 20 years, two packs a day for 10 years, etc.) and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years and are between the ages of 50 and 80 The low-dose CT scan allows us to get a picture of their lungs to determine if they have any suspicious abnormalities.”