What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Cancer?
Cancer is a disease that starts in cells and can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. It can also continue to grow even after treatment. When this happens, it’s considered advanced cancer and it is less likely to be cured.
It’s important for everyone to know the signs and symptoms of cancer so that they can see their doctor right away. Early detection can help doctors find cancer before it causes any symptoms and start treatment right away. Some cancers have warning signs, such as a change in bowel habits, a lump or new bump, unexplained bleeding or tiredness that doesn’t get better with rest. Other cancers don’t have any warning signs and can be hard to recognize.
When cancer does cause symptoms, they usually show up in the part of the body where the cancer is growing. But, there are lots of things that can make you feel tired or sick, so these symptoms don’t always mean you have cancer. Some of the most common symptoms include:
For certain types of cancer, doctors use a system called staging to figure out how much the cancer has grown and whether it has spread. For example, with lung and breast cancers, doctors often use a CT scan or PET scan to stage the cancer based on how big it is and how far it has spread. Blood cancers have their own staging systems that look at different things. Your doctor will explain what your specific cancer’s staging means for you.
Cancer research is going at a fast pace and scientists are learning more and more about how cancer develops. They now understand that most cancers develop over time as a result of many genetic changes. These genetic changes may affect proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes or DNA repair genes.
Some of the most effective treatments for cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. But there are also newer drugs being developed and tested all the time. These include drugs that block the blood supply to cancer cells, correct the genetic defects that cause cancer or help your immune system fight cancer.
When cancer is diagnosed and treated, relieving symptoms remains an important part of your care. This is sometimes called palliative care or supportive care and it may be started right after your diagnosis and continued throughout your treatment.
It’s important to talk with your care team about what your goals are for treatment. You might decide that a goal is to cure you of cancer or, if that’s not possible, to keep the cancer from spreading or coming back. You and your care team will weigh how any particular treatment might affect your quality of life against its potential to control the cancer. You can always ask your care team for a second opinion or a different treatment. They will be with you every step of the way.
Cancer is a disease that starts in cells and can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. It can also continue to grow even after treatment. When this happens, it’s considered advanced cancer and it is less likely to be cured. It’s important for everyone to know the signs and symptoms of cancer so that they can see their doctor right away. Early detection can help doctors find cancer before it causes any symptoms and start treatment right away. Some cancers have warning signs, such as a change in bowel habits, a lump or new bump, unexplained bleeding or tiredness that doesn’t get better with rest. Other cancers don’t have any warning signs and can be hard to recognize. When cancer does cause symptoms, they usually show up in the part of the body where the cancer is growing. But, there are lots of things that can make you feel tired or sick, so these symptoms don’t always mean you have cancer. Some of the most common symptoms include: For certain types of cancer, doctors use a system called staging to figure out how much the cancer has grown and whether it has spread. For example, with lung and breast cancers, doctors often use a CT scan or PET scan to stage the cancer based on how big it is and how far it has spread. Blood cancers have their own staging systems that look at different things. Your doctor will explain what your specific cancer’s staging means for you. Cancer research is going at a fast pace and scientists are learning more and more about how cancer develops. They now understand that most cancers develop over time as a result of many genetic changes. These genetic changes may affect proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes or DNA repair genes. Some of the most effective treatments for cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. But there are also newer drugs being developed and tested all the time. These include drugs that block the blood supply to cancer cells, correct the genetic defects that cause cancer or help your immune system fight cancer. When cancer is diagnosed and treated, relieving symptoms remains an important part of your care. This is sometimes called palliative care or supportive care and it may be started right after your diagnosis and continued throughout your treatment. It’s important to talk with your care team about what your goals are for treatment. You might decide that a goal is to cure you of cancer or, if that’s not possible, to keep the cancer from spreading or coming back. You and your care team will weigh how any particular treatment might affect your quality of life against its potential to control the cancer. You can always ask your care team for a second opinion or a different treatment. They will be with you every step of the way.