14 Symptoms of Cancer That Are Commonly Ignored as “Harmless”

Weight loss, unless you were actively trying to make it happen through diet and exercise, is one of the most common symptoms of cancers in the stomach, lung, or pancreas. So, be cautious before you start celebrating that sudden shedding of pounds!

Blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma show themselves in the beginning stages through high fevers. Fever could also be a sign of early-stage kidney or colon cancer.

Its natural to feel tired from time to time, say after a particularly busy week at work or a long trip. In these cases, you should recover with some much deserved rest. But, if the fatigue doesn’t go away even with rest, it could point to cancers like stomach, colon, or blood (leukemia).

Pain is one of the most common signs of cancer, and also one the most commonly ignored signs of cancer. Bone and testicular cancer can cause aching, frequent and severe headaches may be an indication of brain tumor, and back pain could be a symptom of ovarian or colon cancer.

You might consider a sudden change in skin to be related to the weather or diet. And while that may be the case, if its never happened before, you may be in for quite a shock. Freckles, moles, or warts that change in shape, color or size need to be examined for cancer. The disease has also been known to cause darker-looking, reddened skin, or yellowish skin and eyes.

Diarrhea or constipation that doesn’t get better with medication or a sudden change in the size of the stool can be pointing to rectal or colon cancer. And if you experience blood when passing urine, you should get checked for bladder or prostate cancer.

Breathlessness as a sign of cancer may be caused due to a blockage of air tubes if there is a cancer in or near the lungs. It can also be due to other cancers like breast, ovarian, or liver.

Bleeding unusually is always cause for concern, and one more thing to add to your list of worries is cancer. Coughing blood could indicate lung cancer, while blood in the urine or stool could mean a colon, kidney, or bladder cancer. Breast cancer patients have also reported bloody discharge from the nipple.

If you find a lump anywhere in your body, you should immediately get it check out by a doctor. But, the way to identify a cancerous lump is if its is hard, but not painful, irregularly shaped or firmly affixed deep in the soft tissue or underneath your skin.

If you’re having difficulty swallowing, it could be an indication of mouth or throat cancers. Other cancers in the head and neck such as esophageal, oropharyngeal, thyroid and laryngeal cancers may also show themselves in this way.