Oncologist shares common early cancer symptoms people should know about

A doctor has shared the most common symptoms of cancer, and you might be surprised at how many can be dismissed as normal ailments.

With the rise of bowel cancer in the under 50 group, people being diagnosed with later stages because they don’t know what to look out for, or not realising that what they’re experiencing isn’t normal, an oncologist has revealed all.

Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, MS, chief of the division of haematology and professor of medicine at the Sylvester Comprehensive Health Center, University of Miami, wrote an article for the Washington Post, where he laid out all of the symptoms that are the most associated with cancers.

Sekeres shared that many of the signs of the most prevalent cancers in the world can also be caused by innocent ailments.

But he detailed exactly when these changes to our bodies should become a cause for concern.

Swollen lymph nodes

Swollen lymph nodes are usually nothing to worry about, unless they present like this (Getty Stock)

The doctor explained that a lot of people are worried about things like swollen lymph nodes, but those are usually a sign of an underlying infection, and not cancer.

It likely isn’t cancer if it is painful and shrinks after a few days.

Of course, in the instance of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, swollen lymph nodes can be one of the signs, but there usually will be many others.

Cancerous lymph nodes are often ‘painless, hard, fixed and continue to enlarge’.

Those that grow larger than an inch in diameter or ‘increase rapidly in size’ are more suspicious.

Changes in bowel habits

Bowel changes could be a sign of cancer (Getty Stock)

The expert went on to say that everyone has a different normal when bowels are the topic of conversation.

Changes can also be brought on by innocent reasons, such as a disruption to routine, different eating habits, an illness, or other things.

But when to worry is when it changes but doesn’t resolve itself.

For cancers like colorectal cancer, people have long cited diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain and blood in their stool as the reasons they sought medical advice.

Those symptoms often became worse over time, leading to other issues, like unintentional weight loss.

Unintentional weight loss

Losing weight is normal, until a certain point (Getty Stock)

Losing weight is a natural occurrence when it’s paired with changes to your diet, exercise, and being mindful of your calories.

However, when it drops dramatically over a short period of time, something isn’t right.

The doctor explained that when you lose weight without trying to, or you lose weight while trying to, but the pounds slip off at an accelerated rate, it could be a sign of cancer.

Usually, this can be caused by ‘cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract’ including of the oesophagus, ‘stomach, liver and pancreas’ when paired with dramatic weight loss.

A chronic cough

Coughs that last weeks need to be checked out (Getty Stock)

The common cold, flu and viral infections can all cause a cough, but usually, it goes away after some time.

But when a cough becomes chronic, it has surpassed eight weeks or longer, and is a cause of concern.

Sekeres shared that this symptom, is mostly associated with lung cancer and 55 percent of people with lung cancer often report this as a sign.

For those with a ‘chronic dry cough and a smoking history’, they are more likely to be diagnosed with the cancer type.

The symptoms, while easy to brush off, should be evaluated by a healthcare professional once it’s apparent they aren’t going anywhere.