Is it reliable to judge whether you have cancer based on "early symptoms"? Don't wait until the late stage to discover cancer!

Recently, a "self-media" account fabricated the false fact of "late-stage liver cancer" and violated the rules by selling misery to gain traffic, which made the topic #Why is cancer always in the late stage when it is discovered# a hot search. At the same time, there are also contents on the Internet such as "Tell you the early signs of common cancers, so that cancer can be detected early!" which also attracted a lot of attention. So, are the statements such as "cancer can be identified by early signs" and "cancer is always in the late stage when it is discovered" true or false? Let's uncover the truth together today!

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01

Myth: Cancer can be identified early through symptoms

The truth: Wrong!

Many people wonder if they can tell whether they have cancer by looking at some "warning signals" from their bodies, but this is actually a big misunderstanding because most early-stage cancers have no special symptoms.

These symptoms: persistent fever, frequent and severe coughing, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, hemoptysis, unexplained weight loss, body pain, abdominal mass, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc., are not unique to tumors.

A few sensitive and fragile people like to take it personally and mistake the symptoms of common diseases as "signs of cancer", which makes them unable to sleep or eat.

The most important thing is that these so-called "signs" are not early signs of cancer. Their appearance often means that the tumor has developed or even reached the middle or late stages.

Many malignant tumors may not have any symptoms in the early stages, and most precancerous lesions are almost unnoticeable until the tumor compresses normal tissues and affects body functions. If you wait until "signs" appear before seeing a doctor, it will seriously delay the disease and even endanger your life.

Therefore, cancer prevention cannot just focus on the so-called “early symptoms”!

02

Myth: Cancer is always in the late stages when it is discovered

The truth: Wrong!

That’s because if you don’t do the following, cancer may be discovered in the late stages.

We often encounter family members of patients saying that the patient had always been in good health, had never seen a doctor, had injections, or taken medicine, but somehow he got an advanced tumor. In fact, it was because he had never been to the hospital or had any physical examinations that he missed the opportunity for early detection.

If you persuade your family and friends to get a physical examination, they may say that they are not feeling unwell and can eat and sleep well, so why bother to check it out? It is a waste of money! However, many cancers are so cunning that there is no discomfort in the early stages, and by the time the body sends out an "alarm", it is already in the middle or late stages.

Therefore, if we can screen for early cancer scientifically and “nip the cancer cells in the bud,” it would be very cost-effective and cost less!

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How to detect it early

Are you at risk for cancer?

In fact, current technology can detect most common cancers at an early stage. For example, cancer prevention physical examinations are physical examinations for common cancers based on cancer risk assessments, which can detect early cancers or precancerous lesions.

Therefore, if we want to detect early-stage cancer as early as possible and strive for a cure, we must not simply rely on our feelings to look at the symptoms, but must rely on professional cancer prevention physical examinations.

How to choose targeted screening items?

Targeted cancer screening should be done for different cancers, such as:

Lung cancer: low-dose spiral CT scan of the chest.

Key points: The recommended starting age for lung cancer screening is 45 years old.

Breast cancer: breast mammography, breast B-ultrasound.

The starting age for breast cancer imaging screening for the general risk population is 40 years old. For high-risk women, imaging screening needs to be performed in advance depending on the risk of cancer.

Liver cancer: Color Doppler ultrasound of the liver, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) examination.

Key focus: high-risk groups over 40 years old.

Gastric cancer: gastroscopy.

Key focus: High-risk groups aged 45 and above.

Cervical cancer: cervical cytology examination, HPV test.

Focus: Regular screening of cervical cancer should be carried out for all women of appropriate age. my country recommends that the starting age for screening be 25-30 years old.

Colorectal cancer: fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy.

Focus: High-risk groups aged 40 to 45 years and above. If a direct relative is diagnosed with "hereditary colorectal cancer", the screening age should be advanced.

Which groups

Are you at high risk for common cancers?

1. A direct relative has a history of cancer, especially if the person was young when he or she was diagnosed with cancer;

2. People with a history of cancer and precancerous lesions;

3. There are high-risk factors for cancer in the living or working environment;

4. Long-term bad living habits, such as:

Red meat and processed meat intake, smoking, heavy drinking, betel nut chewing, staying up late, or long-term anxiety, depression, extreme psychological stress, diabetes, obesity, etc. are also important causes of cancer.

Summarize

It is not very reliable to judge whether it is a precursor to cancer based solely on symptoms. If you want to detect early cancer as early as possible, you still have to rely on professional cancer prevention examinations.

Author: Hu Zhongdong, deputy chief physician, registered nutritionist, health manager, and Healthy China Action speaker

Review | Zhang Yu, researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, doctor of medicine, and master's supervisor

The article is produced by "Science Refutes Facts" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

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