8 Symptoms of Cancer

Because it is difficult to detect, cancer is often identified when it had become more severe. But now researchers successfully identified eight symptoms that indicates the presence of cancer.

Experts from Keele University identified those eight symptoms after doing a research on 25 studies in England, U.S.A, Netherlands Belgum, Australia, Denmark and Germany. The results of the study was published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP).

Dr Mark Shapley who led the research said the eight symptoms had different level of accuracy. There are several factors that influence, but the most important are age and gender, according to the Telegraph.

Iron deficiency anemia for example, in woman aged 21-year-old it does not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer. But for men aged 60 years and over, this symptom could indicate colon cancer.

Unless there are other causes known, eight of the following symptoms are signs of cancer which is revealed in the research.

1. Bleeding in the rectum (indicates colon cancer in elder poople)2. Iron deficiency anemia (indicates bowel cancer),
3. Lump in the breast (indicates possibility of breast cancer)
4. Rectum examination which shows cancer (indicates the possibility of prostate cancer)
5. Blood in the urine (indicates cancer in the urinary tract)
6. Coughing blood (indicates possibility of lung cancer)
7. Post-menopausal bleeding (indicates the possibility of womb cancer)
8. Difficulty in swallowing (indicates esophageal cancer)

Dr Mark hoped this finding could help doctors and patients to be able to identify cancer as early as possible. The faster the cancer is detected the greater the hope to overcome them before they become more severe.