- Cancer can affect many different organs and parts of the body. Its stages can also range from pre-cancerous to Stage IV cancer, which can be extremely difficult to treat. These two factors---the part of the body affected and the stage of the cancer---significantly affect what and how noticeable the signs of cancer are.
- A few overreaching signs of cancer appear in many people, regardless of their types of cancer. These include fatigue, fever and weight loss. Cancer cells use up much of the body's energy, causing fatigue. It may also affect a patient's digestive system, causing weight loss. Cancer and its medications can desensitize taste buds, causing a patient to become disinterested in food, which often leads to weight loss.
- Pain can be one of the most important signs of cancer. Many people try to explain abnormal pain away, but it can actually be one of the most easily recognizable signs of cancer. Head pain can be caused by a brain tumor. Pain in a male's genitalia can signal testicular cancer, and back pain can be the result of rectal, ovarian or colon cancer. Bone pain may also be a sign of bone cancers. Unfortunately, the physical pain that is felt from cancer usually means that the cancer has already metastasized, or spread to other areas of the body.
- There are many other signs that may signal the onset or advancement of specific cancers. Sores that do not heal or a change in the skin's appearance can signal skin cancer. Unusual lumps in the breast or testicle can signal breast or testicular cancer. Individuals who suddenly have trouble swallowing or ingesting food may have cancer of the stomach, esophagus or throat.
- Pain, fever, weight loss and fatigue can be the result of many other conditions, illnesses and syndromes, which is why cancer screenings are necessary. Screenings provide doctors a quick and easy way to detect cancer at most stages and to pinpoint its exact location and stage. The American Cancer Society recommends that women aged forty and older undergo a yearly mammogram, which detects breast cancer. Colonoscopies, which detect colorectal cancer, are recommended yearly for women and men aged fifty and older. Women aged twenty-one and over, or those who are younger but sexually active, should be screened for cervical cancer once a year.
