Women’s bodies are always changing, but sometimes seemingly normal changes are a sign of cancer in women. It’s important to pay attention to your body to notice the difference, especially when it comes to women’s cancers.
1. Changes in the chest
Most breast lumps are not a sign of cancer in women , but let your doctor know if you notice the following changes:
Indented or wrinkled breast skin; Inverted nipples ; Nipples with abnormal discharge; The nipple or surrounding skin is red or scaly. To find the cause of your symptoms, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history. You may also have tests like a mammogram or a breast biopsy – a procedure where a small piece of breast tissue is removed for testing.
2. Flatulence, bloating
Women are naturally prone to bloating and this will go away on its own after 1-2 weeks. But if your bloating doesn’t go away with time, especially if there’s weight loss or unusual bleeding associated with it, you should see your doctor right away. By constant bloating can be a sign of cancer in women, including:
Breast cancer; Colon cancer ; Gastrointestinal cancer; Ovarian Cancer ; Pancreatic Cancer ; Uterine cancer. Depending on other symptoms, you will be ordered to have tests such as a pelvic exam, blood tests, mammograms, colonoscopy, CT scan or ultrasound to find the cause of the problem. subject.
3. Irregular bleeding between cycles
Women who are still of menstruating age should see a doctor if bleeding is detected mid-cycle. Irregular bleeding, not on the day of your period every month, can have many causes, the most dangerous of which is endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus).
Postmenopausal women need to be especially vigilant when they notice vaginal bleeding, in which case they should get checked as soon as possible.
4. Changes in the skin
Common signs of skin cancer include:
Change in the size, shape or color of the mole; New and unusual spots appear on the skin; In addition to a thorough physical examination, your doctor may recommend that you do a biopsy when these symptoms are detected.
5. Blood in stool or urine
You should see your doctor if you have abnormal bleeding from any part of your body, especially if it lasts more than 1-2 days.
Bloody stools are usually caused by hemorrhoids, but can also be a sign of colon cancer. Urologists say bloody urine is often the first sign of bladder or kidney cancer.
6. Changes in the lymph nodes
Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped glands that are scattered throughout the body. Most lymph node changes are caused by common infections. But some women’s cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma, can also cause lymph nodes to swell or soften.
It is best to see a doctor if you have a lump or swelling in any part of your body that lasts for 1 month or more.
7. Difficulty swallowing
Having trouble swallowing from time to time is not a cause for concern. But when this symptom occurs frequently, especially with vomiting or weight loss, you are at increased risk for throat or stomach cancer.
Your doctor will review your symptoms through an endoscopy, a CT scan of your neck, chest, and abdomen, or a barium X-ray. In a barium test, you’ll be given a special liquid to drink, which makes your throat and stomach stand out on an X-ray.
8. Losing weight for no apparent reason
Most women want to lose a few extra pounds to get in shape. But suddenly losing 4.5kg or more without changing your diet or exercise routine could signal a problem.
Most unintended weight loss is not a sign of cancer in women, but is often caused by stress or a thyroid problem. However, excessive weight loss can also signal cancers of the pancreas, colon, stomach and lungs.
Doctors often order a variety of tests to find out the cause of the problem, including blood tests and imaging tests such as a PET scan or CT scan.
9. Heartburn
Excessive food, alcohol and/or stress consumption can cause severe heartburn. Accordingly, you should change your diet for 1-2 weeks to see if the symptoms improve or not?
If heartburn persists, talk to your doctor. Persistent or more severe heartburn could be a sign of stomach, throat, or ovarian cancer. In addition, this symptom can also damage the lining of the esophagus, leading to Barrett’s esophagus – increasing the risk of developing oropharyngeal cancer.
10. Changes in the mouth
If you smoke, look out for yellow, gray, white, or red patches in your mouth and on your lips. You may also experience an ulcer in your mouth. These symptoms may indicate oral cancer. Women should see a doctor or dentist for advice on testing and treatment.
11. Fever
A prolonged and unexplained fever could be a sign of leukemia or blood cancer. Your doctor will take a detailed medical history and do a physical exam to find the cause.
12. Tired
A lot of women are often tired because of their busy lives. But prolonged burnout is unusual.
Tell your doctor if you feel tired all the time or have other symptoms like blood in your stools. Your doctor will ask you to give a complete medical history and order blood tests.
13. Persistent cough
Most coughs will clear up on their own in 3-4 weeks. If you have a cough that lasts longer, especially if you smoke or have trouble breathing or coughing up blood, see your doctor. Cough is the most common symptom of lung cancer.
14. Pain
Cancer is not a common cause of pain. But constant pain can be a warning sign of bone, brain or other cancers, especially when those tumors have spread. Ask your doctor if you have frequent, unexplained pain that has persisted for longer than a month.
15. Abdominal pain and depression
Although very rare, abdominal pain accompanied by depression can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. This type of cancer runs in families. Therefore, people with risk factors need to actively examine and screen as soon as possible.
Above are the signs of cancer in women that should not be ignored. Although women are generally more cautious about health checks and cancer screenings, younger people are less likely to suspect symptoms that may suggest the disease. Knowing the cause of changes in your body will help you not be subjective or worry too much.
Cancer inherently does not spare anyone, it is estimated that every year in the world, a very large proportion of people die from cancer. In fact, if cancer can be detected at an early stage, the prognosis for treatment is very high, even if it is completely cured and not recurred. Therefore, screening for cancer is essential, especially for high-risk patients.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has been implementing cancer screening packages, including the General (intensive) Cancer Early Detection Package – Female. At Vinmec, there are fully modern diagnostic facilities such as: PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI…, blood marrow test, histopathology, immunohistochemistry test, gene test, lab test molecular biology, as well as a full range of targeted drugs, the most advanced immunotherapy drugs in cancer treatment. Multimodal cancer treatment from surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, targeted therapy, immunotherapy in cancer treatment, new treatments such as autoimmunotherapy body, heat therapy…
After having an accurate diagnosis of the disease and stage, the patient will be consulted to choose the most appropriate and effective treatment methods. The treatment process is always closely coordinated with many specialties: Diagnostic Imaging, Biochemistry, Immunology, Cardiology, Stem Cell and Gene Technology; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Endocrinology, Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Psychology, Department of Nutrition… to bring the highest efficiency and comfort to patients. After undergoing the treatment phase, the patient will also be monitored and re-examined to determine whether the cancer treatment is effective or not.
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Reference source: webmd.com
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