Common cancer symptoms: Why it is important for you to recognise them

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Cancer is defined as the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells anywhere in a body.

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that, worldwide, there were 14 million new cancer cases, and 8.2 million deaths in 2012, and the number is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 2 decades.

It is believed that there are more than 200 types of cancer and each one is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

 

Symptoms of cancer vary widely depending on the specific type and grade of cancer, or may not occur at all. Some of the common symptoms of cancer include-

• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Breathlessness
• Changes in a mole
• Unexplained pain or ache – for instance, pain that comes and goes for more than 4 weeks
• Persistent cough
• Persistent bloating
• Voice change
• Fever
• Unusual lumps – a lump somewhere on your body that doesn't look normal to you
• Problem swallowing
• Excesive sweating

If you notice something that isn't normal for you, get it checked by a doctor. Because treatment works best when cancer is detected early – while it's still small and is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body.