15 Cancer Symptoms Men Should Not Ignore: Most people want to live a healthy, active and young life and they even work hard to achieve this. No matter how much one is cautious, one can always get caught by any health issue. This can be as common as a cold and cough and as serious as cancer.
Although not all the symptoms are of cancer. Some are strongly linked to it and may develop one in near future. Therefore, it is always helpful to talk to a doctor about any unusual body changes and take precautions and treatments accordingly. One of the finest ways to stay alert and prevent such diseases is to get regular screening.
Let’s look at 15 signs and cancer symptoms men usually ignores.
Changes in urination
Urine incontinence and certain other changes in urination are common in older age, especially after the age of 60. Although these can be a symptom of prostate cancer or cancer in general. Prostate cancer occurs only in men. General symptoms might include a burning sensation while urination, urine leakage, inability to urinate despite urges, a weak stream of urine (straining), blood in urine, and early prostate cancer also results in the blood in semen.
Lumps in testicles
Heaviness, lumps and change in the skin of over testicles- are common symptoms that can indicate testicular cancer. Although it is very rare in comparison to prostate cancer or cancer of the lungs and colon. Testicular cancer develops fast than prostate cancer and therefore is more lethal. If you find any of the above difficulties just visit your doctor, who will run some blood and urine tests and imaging tests to diagnose the issue.
Changes in the skin
There are changes in the skin with increasing age, but some changes are sudden and unexplained. These changes can be a sign of skin cancer or some serious ailment. Your doctor will go for a biopsy if any of the below symptoms appear. This includes changes in color, the tone of the skin, any overnight mole, or change in an already existing mole, and the appearance of lumps on the skin.
Variations in lymph nodes
If these sudden changes don’t go back to normal within 3-4 days, then you must visit the doctor, as these can be signs of cancer as well, tenderness of lymph nodes, swollen lymph nodes, unexplained small bean-shaped lumps around the armpit, neck, etc.
Rectal bleeding
Can be a sign of rectal cancer. If your blood reports indicate anemia or iron deficiency, or you observe blood on your toilet paper or in your stools then it might be rectal bleeding. It can also be a sign of colon cancer or can be due to anal fissures, haemorrhoids, any sore on the anal area etc. in a few cases rectal bleeding led to mental confusion, dizziness, or even shock (shock might include symptoms like fast heart rate, not being able to urinate, unconsciousness, or low blood pressure). One should not take it lightly and consult a doctor.
Difficulty swallowing
If you have a sore throat, you may have difficulty swallowing. But along with this if vomiting, a burning sensation in your throat or in your stomach, sudden weight loss, persistent fever, loss of appetite, etc., also occurs, then it can be a sign of stomach cancer or colon cancer. You should consult your doctor; they might ask you to take a general blood test and a barium test to diagnose the actual situation.
Heartburn
Along with the difficulty in swallowing, if you are feeling a persistent burning sensation in your heart, acid refluxes, pain in the chest, and heavy breathing, then it can be a sign of stomach or throat cancer. It is normal to feel heartburn after eating something oily or spicy, but if that doesn’t go away with antacids or persist for a few days then you should consult your doctor, they might perform some imaging test to find out the reason.
Sudden weight loss
In general, it is very difficult to maintain a steady weight and lifestyle affects our body weight and posture. Some struggle with weight loss and others with weight gain. But if you experience sudden loss in weight without any effort, then it can be a serious issue regarding your health. If the same happens without a change in exercise or diet plans, you should consider discussing it with a doctor.
Fever
Fever usually comes when your body is fighting any infection. But the persistent high fever can be a sign of leukemia. It is also a sign of spreading cancer as well.
Fatigue
People get tired easily at the end of the day, but if you still feel the following symptoms, such as tired after proper rest, more tired than usual, getting tired quickly and frequently, even after small tasks, sleeplessness, your daily activity and strength are affected.
Cough
Coughing is very common in people who are suffering from the common cold, coughing, allergies, asthma, etc. but chronic coughing can also be a sign of lung cancer in general. There are other symptoms of lung cancer that include, chest pain that gets worst while coughing, bloody sputum, difficulty in breathing, hoarseness, etc. If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, then you should see a pulmonologist or general physician to get it diagnosed properly.
Pain
If you have pain in different parts of your body, and it does not go away even after resting enough and taking the appropriate treatment. It can be a sign of cancer. The pain you might feel will differ from what you have experienced in the past.
Changes in breast
The research says that breast cancer is not exclusive to women. There is a 1% of chance for men to get breast cancer. If there are sudden changes such as lumps in the breast area, any mole appearing overnight, or a mole with hair growing from it (congenital nevus) in the breast area, etc., this can be a sign of breast cancer in males as well. Lumps in the breast area are more prominent in males aged above 60 years or those who have heavy chest areas due to obesity at a young age.
Changes in the oral cavity
Mouth sores are normal for someone who smokes cigarettes or chews tobacco. But if these sores or ulcers persist for more than a week, one should consult a doctor. Other than that, one should also look for any unexplained red, yellow, grey or white patches on the lips or in the mouth. These can be early symptoms of mouth cancer.
Blood in stools, semen and urine
Blood in stools, semen and urine are the most common signs of the bladder, kidney, colon, or prostate cancer. You might notice the dark orange, brown to red colored urine, that’s a sign of blood in the urine. If you notice streaks of red liquid along with your stools, or very dark-colored stools, this can be a sign of blood in your stool. Sometimes the blood in stool is not visible, but it’s always visible in the urine. Although this can also happen if you have diarrhea, any urinary tract infection, haemorrhoids, etc. in some people spicy food can also cause a burning sensation while peeing or blood in urine and stool.
Conclusion
Detecting any medical issue early is most beneficial if you are suffering from any discomfort. Early detection opens many treatment options and guaranteed recovery in most of the cases. Men tend to ignore their conditions or any unusual change in their bodies. They ignore any such signs and symptoms more easily. But brushing off these symptoms can be lethal, especially in the case of deadly diseases such as cancer.
FAQs
If you have experienced any change in your body which persist for more than a couple of days, these can be symptoms of cancer. Such symptoms include sudden weight loss, fever, ulcers in the mouth, change in color and pattern of the skin, bloody sputum, urine or stool, prolonged cough, change in testicles, pain in the abdomen, fever, prolonged cough, burning sensation in the n chest, etc. you should immediately consult a general physician in this case.
There are certain ways to cope with cancer symptoms, such as practicing relaxation, sharing your emotional burden and any pain and discomfort you are experiencing, maintaining a journal of what you are experiencing, making rational decisions with details, and finding emotional and spiritual support for hope. As soon as you start to observe any unusual change in your body, you should immediately consult the doctor.
It is difficult to identify cancer in its early stage as when cancer starts to grow in the body, it produces some general and small symptoms. Generally, there are no visible symptoms in the early stage and is recognized when major damage has been done. People also ignore these symptoms or try to recover using home remedies, this increases the risk. One can ignore these symptoms for some days, but if the uneasiness and problem persist for more than a few days, one should immediately recommend a doctor.