These red flags from the body may be early warnings of cancer

With the continuous development and progress of modern medicine, the treatment level of tumors has been significantly improved compared with the past, and new treatment methods have emerged in an endless stream. According to the information of the Medical Administration Bureau of the National Health and Health Commission, with the improvement of China's medical quality and diagnosis and treatment capacity, the five-year survival rate of malignant tumors has increased from 30.9% ten years ago to the current 40.5%, an increase of nearly 10 percentage points, and the five-year survival rate of some malignant tumors such as esophageal cancer has been higher than that of developed countries such as the United States.

However, the cure of tumor diseases still relies heavily on early prevention, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that nearly 50% of cancers are preventable, based on scientific knowledge now available.

Qiu Meng, chief physician of the Department of Abdominal Oncology of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, introduced that in addition to routine screening for asymptomatic and high-risk groups, paying attention to some possible cancer signals in time can also help people find cancer as soon as possible.

Our bodies may be warning of cancer if they send out three types of red flags: superficially palpable lumps, symptoms associated with the appearance of an organ where the tumor has occurred or symptoms of compression and aggression caused by tumor growth, and systemic symptoms due to tumor development.

In daily life, we should pay close attention to the discomfort and changes in our own body. If the body has long-term or combined with some specific symptoms of the three types of red flags, it should be examined in time for medical treatment. These include unexplained weight loss, unexplained lumps on the body surface, night sweats, changes in stool habits, blood in the stool, persistent cough, shortness of breath, skin changes, bloating, blood in the urine, dysphagia, etc. In addition, unexplained fever, changes in urinary motility, heartburn, etc., may also be symptoms of tumors.

Liu Meng, deputy chief physician of the Department of Integrative Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Beijing China-Japan Friendship Hospital, suggested that if there is a symptom of coughing up sputum with blood, or for men over 40 years old with a history of smoking, they should go to the hospital for low-dose lung CT examination in a timely or regular manner, which is an effective means of screening lung cancer; the whole population over 40 years old, especially those with multiple polyps symptoms or family gastrointestinal disease history, should try to do gastrointestinal endoscopy to eliminate the risk of colorectal tumors; women over 30 years old should actively learn breast cancer visual examination and touch detection methods. Conduct a self-examination, and if abnormalities are found, a B-ultrasound examination of the breast is done in time.

On the other hand, not all of the above symptoms are necessarily tumors, and not all tumors will occur. These "body signals," while associated with tumors, are often not tumor-specific. Do not panic when abnormal signals are found, and the correct way to deal with them should be to go to a regular hospital for timely treatment, neither to hide the disease and avoid medical treatment, nor to be overly anxious. (Reporters Gu Tiancheng and Mu Tiecheng)