Afia Ohemeng
1. A pearly pimple
Skin cancers are some of the commonly diagnosed cancers. Basal cell carcinoma, is actually skin cancer which is linked to ultraviolet light exposure mostly from the sun.
Basal cell carcinomas sometimes look shiny and translucent or have a waxy appearance. They may look like sores or even scaly patches.
Usually these cancers grow slowly and are highly treatable. Any bump persisting for six to eight weeks has to be checked out.
2. Foreign body sensation
Sometimes an awkward sensation in your throat is telling you there might be a tumor present. It may feel like an annoying lump-in-the-throat which often goes hand-in-hand with acid reflux.
Doctors may find the back-of-the-tongue cancer by using a scoping procedure.
Base-of-tongue and tonsil tumors are on the rise due to human papillomavirus infections. These infections are usually acquired through oral sex. HPV has a tendency to lay dormant in the body for years before producing symptoms, so women may not know they’re even at risk.
3. Prolonged itching
Your unexplained itching may not always be a worm infestation. Excessive itching can be a sign of lymphoma.
If you’ve seen the dermatologist or even sought a second opinion and there is no conclusive result about why you may be itching, it won’t hurt to ask about an underlying cause.
Pretty subtle symptoms such as ear pain without other symptoms for weeks or months may be present before an oral cancer is uncovered.
It may also be a sign of a later-stage mouth cancer that’s digging down and starting to interfere with nerves.
Any abnormal bleeding ought to be quickly evaluated. This is especially true after menopause or before menopause in women with risk factors such as obesity.
Most endometrial cancers are diagnosed at stage 1 are highly curable.
6. Anemia
Blood in your stool is closely associated with colorectal cancer. Anemia which can make you feel tired, lightheaded,and dizzy, can sometimes be the only first sign of this cancer.
The reason behind this is, colorectal cancers can bleed into the digestive tract. The bleeding may not be easily seen in stools especially if it is microscopic. Blood loss over time can lead to low red blood cell counts and other serious health issues.
7. A hoarse voice
Hoarseness that persists even after completing medication should be evaluated promptly.
Laryngeal cancer also causes throat pain, ear pain, or even a lump in the neck or throat. It attacks tissues in the part of the throat that houses your vocal cords. The cancer can also spread to the thyroid, trachea (wind pipe), or esophagus.
8. Bloated Belly.
In rare cases, bloating and pelvic discomfort may be signs of ovarian cancer.
Only a small percentage of women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer during their lifetime.
However, ovarian cancer is the one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women.
9. A Lump In Your Neck
Remember, not all lumps are cancer. That being said, a nodule or swelling in the center of your neck where the thyroid is located is probably non-cancerous but should be checked for cancer since women are three times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than men. The good news about it is, it’s usually slow growing and highly curable when detected.
10. Breast swelling or dimpling
Any unusual breast changes which may not be restricted to lumps require immediate attention.
Did you know that inflammatory breast cancer can cause breast pain, redness, and swelling?women who develop this aggressive type of cancer may have thickening of the skin of the breast and dimpling. This makes the breast look like the back of an orange. The symptoms might escalate quickly and as such is treated differently from routine breast cancer.
