Oncologists Reveal The Cancer Symptoms People Often Overlook

Throughout the world, cancer rates are increasing, particularly in adults under 50.

The exact reason why cancer diagnoses are on the rise isn’t completely known, but Dr. Christopher Cann, an oncologist and the executive director of Fox Chase Center’s Young Adult Cancer program in Philadelphia, said there are likely “environmental” exposures, such as pesticides and PFAS, at play.

Dr. Monisha Singh, a gastrointestinal and gynecologic oncologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, said that pollution and plastics are also not great for health, and diet changes in recent decades may also impact cancer rates.

With increasing cases of many different kinds of cancer, it’s important to understand the common signs and to seek care if you notice any concerning changes.

“One of the biggest things that I would say is that … you know your body better than anybody else,” Cann said. “If you think there is something wrong, try your best to advocate for yourself.”

No problem is too small to bring to your doctor’s attention, and it could be lifesaving to do so.

“As we know in oncology and in cancer care, the earlier you can get diagnosed, usually the better your prognosis is,” Singh said.

Below, doctors share the commonly missed signs of cancer that you should know about.

If you’re losing weight without trying, it could be a sign that something is off with your health.

This doesn’t mean shedding a pound or two unexpectedly; “we’re talking weight that is 10 pounds, over 10 pounds, unintentionally over several weeks to months,” Cann said.

“That can be a signal that your body is going through a significant amount of stress,” he added, which could include cancer.

“I always like to mention fatigue,” Cann said, but what makes fatigue tough is it’s extremely common as people move through their lives, take care of kids and aging parents, work and more.

“But when it becomes to the point that the fatigue is affecting your job or affecting your quality of life, that demands that you seek evaluation to understand why that is happening,” Cann added.

There are many causes of chronic fatigue, but one cause is cancer.

Men who notice any changes in urination, such as blood in the urine, peeing more often or having a weaker stream should talk to a doctor, Singh said.

“Most likely that’s just going to be benign prostatic hyperplasia, benign enlargement of the prostate, but you never know when it’s going to be a tumor that’s actually causing that in your prostate,” Singh said.

Prostate cancer is common in men, with one in eight receiving a diagnosis in their lifetime. There are screening tests and effective treatments for the disease.

Most people know that blood in stool is a major red flag, especially as rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in young adults.

“Anyone who has that … deserves an evaluation by a GI doctor and possibly a colonoscopy,” Cann said. Too often, particularly in younger adult patients, blood in the stool is attributed to hemorrhoids, which it can be, but can also be colon cancer, he noted.

“Another thing patients should be watching out for in the GI malignancy realm is black stool. That can be an indication of something bad happening in the esophagus or in the stomach area,” Singh explained.

It’s also important to pay attention to any persistent bowel change habits, such as more constipation or diarrhea than usual, bloating or abdominal pain. “If this is a persistent issue, go and talk to your doctor,” Singh stressed.

“When it comes to a GI perspective, I’m seeing more and more … esophageal and gastric cancers,” said Cann.

This can be related to alcohol consumption, smoking or even chronic acid reflux, he added. These cancers can also be caused by sporadic mutations.

“But what we’re finding … difficulty swallowing … where swallowing becomes not necessarily painful but just harder to do, that is a sign that you go talk to a doctor to see if we need to look down and see in your esophagus if there’s anything that’s changing,” Cann said.

Rates of skin cancer throughout the United States are also increasing. If you notice a change in your skin, such as a new spot, mole or bump, or a changing spot, mole or bump, it’s worth seeing a dermatologist.

Skin cancer happens in people of all ages and all different skin colors, according to Singh. “Anyone can get skin cancer,” she said.

If you do notice something suspicious, get it checked out, Singh added, “because skin cancer, especially melanoma, being caught earlier stages, far superior than we finding it in your lungs and lymph nodes.”

Getting a little sweaty overnight can be normal and is also common during menopause or a bad respiratory virus. But drenching night sweats that require changing your clothes in the middle of the night can be a sign of something more, Singh said.

“That is not normal. That needs to be discussed with a physician,” she said. “While it, once again, may not be anything serious [it could] be a presentation of lymphoma.”

While cancer can be genetic, there are also lifestyle choices that can help lower your risk of developing it, along with screening tools that can help catch it early.

Talk to your primary care provider to learn when you should start necessary cancer testing such as mammograms, colonoscopies, blood tests and pap smears. For people with a family history of cancer, you will likely be told to start cancer screenings earlier than the recommended age.

“I always reinforce talking to your family if you have the ability to talk to them about their medical history, so that you can have the knowledge to work with and relay to your primary care doctor or your physician, so that you can get screened appropriately,” Cann said.

Beyond tests and screenings, it’s important to do what you can to lower your individual cancer risk. This includes not smoking, not vaping, limiting alcohol intake, exercising and following a healthy diet, both doctors said.

And if you do notice any concerning symptoms or changes, don’t delay or ignore them, Singh stressed. Instead, reach out to your doctor and advocate for yourself — even if that means finding a new doctor.

“If you run into a barrier where you feel like the doctor is not listening to you, you have to either advocate for yourself or get a second opinion,” Singh said. “You want to keep pushing until you make sure everything’s OK.”

Health insurance hurdles, denied coverage and the cost of healthcare in this country can make advocating for yourself and getting certain medical tests costly. But as cancer rates increase, it’s only becoming more likely that some of the bothersome things that people attribute to stress or getting older is not just that.

“If you feel like something is just not quite right, listen to your body … and seek out medical evaluation just so we can be sure,” Cann said. “And if it comes up as nothing, that provides you the reassurance that you’re doing all the right things. It’s never wrong to seek that out.”