If you have these warning signs, you should see a doctor

Symptoms of cancer are diverse: anyone who discovers certain changes in their body should be urgently examined.

Frankfurt – Cancer does not develop overnight. The disease often develops slowly and is sometimes not even noticed. A few warning signals from the body can indicate cancer, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have these signs, you should have a doctor examine you.

First of all, if you notice any changes in your body, don’t panic just yet. “In most cases, it is not cancer, but other diseases,” reports the German Cancer Society (DKG) on its website. However, if it is a malignant tissue change, chances are it can be cured if caught early.

Observing the body: certain symptoms may indicate cancer

If the cancer is at an early stage, there are usually no symptoms. However, if there is something different in your body and these changes increase or persist, it is advisable to get checked out. According to the DKG, the following signs can be the first symptoms of cancer:

• Palpable swelling, hardening, or lump on the skin, mucous membranes, or soft tissues, often without pain
• pain of unknown origin
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits, groin, or neck
• prolonged cough; persistent and changing cough; constant urge to cough
• blood when coughing
• Persistent hoarseness and difficulty swallowing
• shortness of breath

  Moles and warts, they change in size, shape and color

• jaundice
• Uneven, reddened palms or liver stars (small spider-like veins in the skin)
• Change in stool/urine, pain, or blood in stool/urine
• Increased need to urinate or intermittent weak urine flow

  Unusual digestive habits

  stomach pains

  Persistent feeling of pressure or fullness, abdominal pain or bloating

  Unusual bleeding or discharge from the mouth, nose, intestines, or urethra

  constant belching and vomiting

  Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss

  pallor and anemia

• Constant fatigue, exhaustion, decreased performance

  Fever, sweating, dizziness, tachycardia

  New headaches

  visual or hearing impairments

  seizures

  Persistent itching

  Neurological disorders such as paralysis, speech and coordination disorders

• sudden clumsiness

  personality changes

  Wounds that heal poorly or not at all

Cancer symptoms: signs that may indicate cancer, especially in women

• Lumps and/or hardening in the breast
• Strain nipple
• Bleeding that has nothing to do with the menstrual period, such as during menopause or after sex
• Brownish discharge
• Source: DKG

The following symptoms may indicate cancer in men

• Weak or interrupted urine flow
• difficulty urinating
• An enlarged or hardened testicle
• blood in semen
• Source: DKG

A lot has happened in cancer treatment in recent years. A new drug offers hope for a cure. What’s more, according to one study, vitamin D and two other measures can reduce the risk of cancer – a few foods, on the other hand, can increase the risk. (Lea-Sophie Mollus)