Typical and atypical signs of cancer

To ensure bowel cancer is detected as early as possible, Dr James Kinross, colorectal surgeon at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, shares the following six warning signs to recognize:

• Change in loo habits
• Blood in your stools
• Stomach or abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• A pain or lump in your stomach or back
• Ongoing fatigue or weakness

“I was chewing ice a lot! This was new for me. My MD said it could be because of anemia, so he gave me a blood test. Yup, I had anemia. He wanted to know where my blood was going, so he suggested a colonoscopy. I was not thrilled, but said, ‘OK.’ It came back positive for rectal cancer. I had radiation, chemotherapy, and three surgeries over the next 18 months. Permanent colostomy now. But I’m alive! It’s been 4+ years now. ALWAYS say ‘yes’ to tests your MD wants to run, especially the dreaded colonoscopy (which, by the way, isn’t that bad because you’re unconscious for it)!“

Renee, Quora

“I was exceptionally tired. The tiredness was like nothing I had ever felt in my 42 years; it made me feel sick to my stomach. I was also pale, although I didn’t realize it until someone asked me if I was ill. The most obvious sign was bleeding when I used the bathroom. It had started as an occasional spot/drop in my underwear (Had I scratched myself? Was it vaginal spotting?). Later, there was a blood spatter in the toilet. I finally had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with colon cancer (I assumed I was too young — not at all, it turns out). Had surgery and chemo. That was 21 years ago.“
“But, four years after that cancer, I was diagnosed with very early ovarian cancer. It turns out colon/ovarian/ breast are related in some people. That cancer had no symptoms. It was found because I knew the connection between the three cancers and did aggressive follow-up. The doctor spotted an ovarian tumor so small that it couldn’t be felt if he were to examine the ovary. Turns out my peritoneum was loaded with tiny tumors. Lesson: colon cancer w/symptoms saved my life. I never would have found the ovarian if I hadn’t been doing serious follow-up. That cancer was 17 years ago.“

Kris Webb, Quora

“My friend Cathy was probably late 40s or early 50s. She and her husband wanted to live off the grid and participate in the world only on their terms. One day, she and her husband came down the mountain to visit; they lived two hours north. She mentioned that they were about ready for her husband to quit his job, and then they’d sell everything and start over in another state.“
“‘Before I tell him to quit, I’d like to get your opinion’, she said. ‘Let’s go into the bathroom. I want to show you something.‘
‘This wasn’t something I expected or anticipated. She lowered her pants and had me look just above her buttocks. There was a three-inch growth that resembled a worm. It was large, thick, and angry-looking.
‘Don’t let him quit his job yet’, I said. ‘You need a doctor first. Do it while you still have insurance.’
‘What do you think it is?’
‘That’s way above my pay grade’, I said. ‘I’m not medical in any way, shape, or form.’
The next week, she saw her primary care doctor, who turned her over to a specialist, which kind, I don’t know.
‘Thanks for telling me to see the doctor’, she said. ‘He’s going to hang in until we get to the bottom of this.’
My friend had anal cancer. Because she wanted to handle her healing herself, she went with a natural approach and ate only things with no mothers and no faces and watched only old screwball comedies on TV. In three years, she went from an 85% survival rate to terminal. By the time she went back to a ‘normal’ doctor, she was inoperable and in tremendous pain. Hospice wouldn’t provide her with enough pain medication to control her pain. It was a horrible death.
In a nutshell, noticing something unusual needs to be investigated. Only you really know your body; keep looking for answers.“

Lisa Dooley Fisk, Quora

“For five years, I had occasional bright red blood in my poop. Dr. Google said I had hemorrhoids, so I never thought much about it after that. It was only when I developed uterine cancer that the CT scan showed a 4cm tumor in my colon. At that point, it was already stage 3, and I thank god for the uterine cancer (stage 1, cured), or I would likely be dead from the colon cancer. Never, EVER trust Dr. Google and get any bleeding checked, no matter how small.“

Shelley Heich, Quora

“At 33, I did a self-exam after taking a shower and found a lump. It didn’t seem really big, but enough in size that I knew it was unusual. I was in bed with my then-husband and asked him if he felt it. He did and said he would call the doctor the next day and set up an appointment. We had three small children in elementary school, so I got them up and off to school. After they left, I did a double-check to make sure I wasn’t imagining things and found a much larger lump on the baseline of my breast. Breast cancer runs in my family, so I was pretty sure what I found was breast cancer. I tried to stay upbeat until I got the official diagnosis, but deep down, I knew I was in for a rough road. I was correct it was stage 3 cancer. That was 22 years ago, and I’m still here.“
“Five years later, I had another diagnosis of cancer, but it was caught early, and it was stage 1. I didn’t feel that one — it was found on a mammogram. But months before, I felt extremely tired and had trouble staying awake during the day. I always wondered if that was a sign that something wasn’t right with my body. The tiredness got better once my treatments were finished. Who knows. I am blessed to be here still, though!“

Vicki Stevens, Quora

“I had a sharp pain in my left breast throughout one day last summer. I never had this before or since. But this pain made me think I should check my breasts as I never do. To cut a long story short, I found out I had HER2 +++ breast cancer in my left breast. Surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, and injections … and I’m back at work nine months later. Hoping all will be well.“

Nicolette Loftus, Quora

“Mine was really odd: I noticed a small FLAT spot on the side of my breast that didn’t go away. I got it sampled, and it was breast cancer. So it’s not always a discernible lump — sometimes it’s a flat place or an actual depression in the skin. And no one had ever told me that, so please, if you notice a change — any change — in your body, please see a doctor as soon as you can.“

Patricia Marshall, Quora

“It was 2016. I started a walking program — 10,000 steps daily. After six weeks, I noticed a nagging ache in my lower back. It persisted for about three weeks, and I thought I’d pulled a muscle. I was also an avid popcorn addict. One Saturday evening, I ate a bag of microwave popcorn. By midnight, I was in agony. I told my adult daughter (a RN) I was going to the ER to be treated for diverticulitis — it runs in my family. She told me not to tell the ER my ‘self-diagnosis’ and I said, ‘Of course not. I’m going to tell him my symptoms, and he’s going to tell me I have diverticulitis.’ I still remember the shock when the ER doctor came in and said, ‘Well, I have some bad news. It’s not diverticulitis (I had not mentioned the condition to him). I’m certain it’s ovarian cancer, and we have a specialist coming in to see you. She’ll be here within a few hours.’ It was a Sunday morning. She was there before 8 a.m.“
“Today, I’m a six-year ovarian cancer survivor because it was detected early, aggressive treatment was started immediately, and I had the support of my family and an incredible medical team. (My oncologist is Dr. Hope! Isn’t that the best possible name?)“

Laura Jones, Quora

“The very first symptom was pain in my lower abdomen. It came and went, and I convinced myself it wasn’t serious. On some level, though, I knew something was wrong. This went on for a couple of years. I began to lose weight uncontrollably. I blamed it on how much exercise I was doing. I started eating more. I stopped being very active and still became scarily skinny. I thought it was weird that my pants felt so snug around my waist. It was because of the skinniness that I saw it. I was lying on my back, and when I lifted my head, I could see a huge lump in my lower abdomen. I went to the ER because it freaked me out. They referred me to an oncologist. It was a huge (20cm x 10cm) tumor on my right ovary (mucinous adenocarcinoma). That is how I first noticed my ovarian cancer. It was a long journey, but that was five years ago, and I have recently been declared CURED!!!“

Tiger Lily, Quora

“On the day of my college farewell party, I (20 then, now 22) distinctly remember asking my roommate, ‘Do I look fat? I think my belly is getting bigger; it feels tight.’ After a month, I started facing problems with breathing; I thought my asthma was back (I had a history of childhood asthma). I (with my mom) went to a doctor, saying I felt uncomfortable and my stomach looked big. He told my mother, ‘You know today’s generation, they sleep late, wake up late, don’t eat on time. It’s just acidity, madam.’ Boom, one week later, I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. It was a kilogram of tumor. My periods were very regular and I had no early symptoms. I advise you to get yourself checked for cancer. It really is late when you’re diagnosed.“

Dyk, Quora

“My mother developed a light but chronic cough and kept going back to her primary care physician, who kept trying her on different allergy meds. She started complaining of feeling unusually weak, especially when trying to walk upstairs. Then she noted that her stomach felt hard. I made a joke about pregnancy at her age. One morning she went back to her doctor yet again about the cough, and he noticed that her stomach was a little distended. He realized the cough hadn’t been caused by her sinus drip, but by fluid pressing on her diaphragm from below. In that moment, he knew it was probably ovarian cancer, and far advanced. It wasn’t her doctor’s fault that he missed it — who hears a light cough and thinks “ovarian cancer”? Even if her doctor had guessed it on her first visit, it wouldn’t have made a difference because that fluid contained cancer cells. Her organs had been bathing in cancer fluid. The cancer had reached stage 4 before that first light cough.
Our best hope is for a radiologist to catch it early when we go in for a scan for something else, like if they’re looking for a possible intestinal blockage. When a CT-scan is done, an enlarged ovary may be seen. Fortunately, ovarian cancer grows slowly, which increases our chances of someone happening to spot it despite our not having any symptoms.
Perhaps one of the new cancer therapies might increase survival after diagnosis. My mother was diagnosed 17 years ago, before the new therapies, and when life expectancy for stage 4 was just a year. But even then, she lived 3 more years, and even played softball with her grandsons.”

Mela Kirkwood, Quora

“I had swollen glands in my neck that hurt badly to the touch, but otherwise, I did not feel sick. I assumed I just had a seasonal bug, but it was nothing like I had ever experienced. One year later, after my diagnosis of uterine cancer, it was explained to me that the lymph nodes can swell up as an early reaction to abnormal cell activity, even if elsewhere in the body. About three months before my diagnosis, I started running a low-grade fever, which was quite unusual for me. I was unaware of it until I got my annual flu shot, and my doctor told me to return in a week when my fever was gone. The fever didn’t go away. Later, it was explained as a ‘cancer fever’, which some people get — another natural defense mechanism of the body.“
“Then, about two months before my diagnosis, I started experiencing severe lower back pain and pelvic cramps. That is what ultimately led me to my ob-gyn. It was a tricky diagnosis. Even a biopsy did not indicate cancer, but the doctor decided to perform a D&C as an extra measure, and that is how the cancer was found. Surgery and radiation were the treatment plans. That was three years ago. I just had a PET SCAN, which showed I am now cancer-free, but I remain under surveillance for two more years.“

Jill Andrea Lambert, Quora

“I had cervical cancer at 35. I’d always had very regular periods, every 28 days like clockwork. What sent me for a pap smear was bleeding 2 weeks after my regular period and it was heavier than what I usually experienced during a normal period. I hadn’t noticed any unusual pain or any other symptoms. But I knew something wasn’t right. Fortunately, because I didn’t shrug it off and went to the doctor, it was caught early. I had a modified hysterectomy rather than chemo or radiation. I’m now 64 and there’s never been any sign of it returning.“

Grannyp63, Quora

“Not me, but my husband. I noticed that his breath had become unpleasant. The problem increased until his breath was foul. I insisted he see a dentist, and the dentist found no problem with his mouth. Getting him to make an appointment with his doctor for no reason other than bad breath was hard, but eventually, he went. The doctor sent him for some tests that are routine for a man of his age. When the test results came back, she sent him for a biopsy on his prostate. The test results could have indicated cancer or only an infection. The biopsy proved that he had prostate cancer. After the surgery, his breath returned to normal.“

Pam Johnson, Quora

“I was the only one who noticed my husband had a strong offensive odor ( to me) that seeped into his clothing, bedding, and soft furnishings. I asked his doctor about it and only got a strange look. After three years of this, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The odor disappeared after surgery cured him of cancer.“

Ann Ette, Quora

“During the last 4-5 years, I have had a dry cough a few times a year. I would cough for a few days, and then the cough would go away. Finally, in October 2022, I went to a doctor to discuss my cough. She did an X-ray of my chest and found a growth between my heart and lung. Further investigation (a few biopsies later) showed that I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The cardiovascular surgeon, pulmonologist, and oncologist all said that the coughing was most likely caused by the tumor pressing against a nerve (I think it’s called the vagus nerve). Since starting chemotherapy, I no longer have the cough.“
“December 2023 UPDATE: One year has passed. I had six months (12 infusions) of hard chemotherapy, and as of the end of September 2023, I was told that the cancer was in remission.“

Richard, Quora

“I honestly didn’t notice the ones that should have been obvious: fatigue and night sweats. To be honest, even if I had seen those symptoms listed somewhere, I wouldn’t have expected that at age 22, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma would be the cause. Then, one Saturday morning, as I attempted to move my bowels, the tumor perforated my intestine, releasing half-digested food into my gut. This is called peritonitis and is equivalent to a burst appendix. The pain was immediate, intense, and enough to get me to an emergency room. Thirteen weeks later, I had completed chemotherapy AND my bachelor’s degree. I’m 58 now.“

Curt Wiederhoeft, Quora

“I had a throbbing sensation at the back of my head. It only lasted maybe 3–5 seconds, but I felt it whenever I strained (like to lift something heavy) or when I tilted my head down. It began happening more and more frequently, so I went to see my nurse practitioner. At first, he thought neck spasms might be causing it, but he ordered an MRI based on the frequency. The MRI revealed an almost 4cm brain tumor in my cerebellum. When it was excised and biopsied, it was determined to be Medulloblastoma — the most common brain tumor in children but extremely rare in adults, especially women. I was 38. I had my third tumor removed on 10/2023. So far, so good! The Lord has blessed me time after time!“

Keri Marlar, Quora

“Just before I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, my lower eyelid developed a spasm. It would twitch all day. Then I got a really bad headache that felt like two thumbs pushing my eyeballs from the inside of my head. Then came head cold symptoms (that later led me to believe I had a sinus infection), insatiable thirst, believing food at a high end restaurant had rotted before they served it to me, and then vomiting followed by level 10 pain in my head. I may have become irritable, but no one told me that I was being an ass. I don’t think I ever lost speech capability or heard nonexistent sounds. The best I can equate it was I exhibited symptoms of a concussion.“
“For reference, my tumor was a grade IV glioblastoma located almost entirely within my right lateral ventrical with one tentacle just breaching the frontal horn. The best I can estimate as far as size is from the post-surgical report, specifically the pathology samples. My tumor was 10cm X 3.5cm X 5cm.“

Steven Smith, Quora

“My symptoms were shortness of breath, unproductive coughing and a weakness in my hand and leg muscles oddly enough. The muscle weakness was strange, I had good strength but sometimes none at all, like a nerve issue. In any event, the doctors were unable to diagnose lung cancer from these symptoms over two years. The symptoms progressed to pain in my right lung and the shortness of breath and coughing got worse. Eventually, after several CT scans recommended by multiple doctors in three countries and endless infection and anti fungal drugs, a simple blood test (about the 10th time) alerted my GP and a CT scan finally showed stage 4 lung cancer which had metastasized to my mediastinum, which is the area between the lungs in the chest. Long story short, radiation, lots of home and Chinese remedies and it is now 2 years since diagnosis and I am still hanging in there. Feel great and hopeful. Don’t count on the doctors to get it right the first time, keep complaining and get multiple opinions. Don’t put it off, do it as soon as you have symptoms of any kind.“
“Quick note here: I am still around and it is now over 7+ years since treatment. Feeling good and looking forward to the future! Read my book Survive by Jack Kane on Kindle for the whole story. I have to tell you it’s been quite a ride!!“

Dun Shant, Quora

“I had a fungal infection under my thumbnail. It was no big deal, but it was annoying because it was unsightly and did not respond to any medication, even very expensive ones. I treated it for eight months without results. During a routine exam, my PSA levels were high; upon retesting, they were normal, then a month later, they were high again. The suspicion was that I had prostate cancer, but an ultrasound revealed that I had bladder cancer and a separate kidney cancer. Stage 3 for both. The removal of my kidney, three procedures to burn away the bladder cancer, six rounds of chemotherapy, and heaps of MRIs and cystoscopies took a year. I have been cancer-free now for ten years.“
“The strange part was that despite not being treated for the duration of my cancer treatment, the fungus infection healed up all by itself. That fungal infection was the only indication that I had a serious problem.“

John Fenn, Quora

“My Mom gave me a shirt as a gift. When I took off the one I was wearing to try it on, she spotted a black mole on my back that was nearly an inch long and irregularly shaped like a map of New Guinea. I’d noticed it weeks before and was ignoring it. She said, ‘You make an appointment with my dermatologist right now!’ You don’t argue with my Mom. So I went. The doctor cut it out immediately, and the pathologist’s report came back: malignant melanoma. Luckily, it was in situ (editor’s note: meaning it hadn’t spread). My mother gave me life, again.“

David J. Winter, Quora

“I noticed that every time I ate, I had to poo. I really didn’t think anything about it until I did some hard drinking one weekend. On Tuesday, I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a swollen pancreas and esophageal bleeding. I was admitted to the hospital and then found I had stage 3 pancreatic cancer. It took me four years and 119 lbs, but I’ve been cancer-free for 3 1/2 years.“

HCKrod314, Quora

“Mine started with a sore throat. The clinic told me it was not strep, and just to gargle with salt water and it would go away. It didn’t. It got worse, and I started to spit up blood. I went to a ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist) who noticed some problem deep in my throat attributed to acid reflux. He increased my meds for acid reflux, but it continued to get worse. I returned to the ENT who prescribed a CAT scan which found the cancer. At this point I had lost 45 pounds and couldn’t eat most foods. I took radiation and chemotherapy over 7 weeks. I had surgery to install a port-a-cath (for the chemo) and a feeding tube and had lost over 60 pounds. Those 7 weeks were not fun, but I had a lot of support from my wife and family.“
“That was four years ago. I get checked up every three months and have to take thyroid medicine, a side effect of the radiation, but I am fine.“

Dale Richesin, Quora

“All I had was a mouth ulcer. It wasn’t even particularly painful, but then my cat started acting oddly — sniffing at my mouth, pressing her head under my chin. I went to see my GP and three weeks later was diagnosed with carcinoma. Sadly, my cancer had been growing for months inside the muscle of my tongue. I’d had a few odd symptoms during that time, but nothing that gave me any indication it was cancer. If I hadn’t gone to the doctor when I did, I wonder how long I’d have waited. I’ve heard stories about animals sensing cancer and other illnesses but never really believed it until now!“

Lyndsey Chapman, Quora