Observe any sore that doesn’t heal, or white patches in your mouth or on your tongue.
Painful urination Needing to urinate more or less than usual Unusual bleeding or discharge
You may also have trouble swallowing or might have indigestion after you eat. These are symptoms of esophageal, throat, or stomach cancer.
Pain might be one of the earliest symptoms of cancer you experience. Fever is usually a symptom once the cancer has progressed.
For example, fatigue can mean many things, only one of which is cancer. Instead, fatigue might just be one symptom of a different condition that you’re experiencing. This is why a proper medical diagnosis is important.
All women should do monthly breast self-examinations (BSE). [8] X Trustworthy Source BreastCancer. org Patient-focused nonprofit organization providing resources for those affected by breast cancer Go to source Your doctor or nurse can teach you how to look for any changes in your breast tissue. Women 74 years of age or older do not need mammography screenings unless their life expectancy is greater than 10 years.
If your healthcare provider can’t test for polyps, get tested for colon and rectal cancer. Every year you should have a blood test (guaiac-based fecal occult blood test) or a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). You could also do a stool DNA test every three years.
If you’ve had a total hysterectomy that wasn’t because of cervical cancer, you don’t need regular Pap tests. If you’re over 65 and have had regular testing with normal results for the past 10 years, you don’t need testing anymore. If you have a history of serious cervical pre-cancer, you should be tested for at least 20 years after the diagnosis (even if this means testing past age 65).
You might also be considered a heavy smoker if you have a 30 pack-year history even if you’ve quit within the last 15 years. To determine your pack-per-year amount, multiply the number of packs you smoke a day by the number of years you’ve smoked. So if you smoked two packs a day for 20 years, your pack-year is 40. You can also use an online calculator to determine pack-years for cigars, pipes, and cigarillos: https://www. smokingpackyears. com/
Prostate cancer Endometrial (uterine) cancer Thyroid cancer Lymphoma Testicular cancer
Many cancers that can be genetically tested for are relatively rare, so it’s important to discuss whether or not it makes sense for you to go through the testing.
You or your family have an increased risk for a certain cancer The test can clearly show if a genetic change is present or absent The results will help you plan future medical care
Hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer syndrome Li-Fraumeni syndrome Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) Familial adenomatous polyposis Retinoblastoma Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (Wermer syndrome) and type 2 Cowden syndrome Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
While it is possible to use an online genetic testing service, it’s better to work with your doctor or genetic counselor so you can get detailed and personalized information.
If you get a positive screening test back, remember that this does not mean you will get that cancer. It means that your risk of developing that particular cancer is increased. But, whether you actually develop the cancer depends on you, the specific gene, your family history, your lifestyle choices, and your environment.
