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Top 10 Cancer Symptoms In Women

Many might not know, but early detection can cure most cancers. Two of the most common types of cancers in women are breast and uterine cervix cancers.

However, these can be easily detected by annual breast mammograms and pap smear tests after the age of 40. Alarmingly, there is a rising incidence of breast cancer in urban women due to several factors, including late marriages, late child birth, fewer children, no breast feeding, obesity, smoking, drinking and by following a sedentary lifestyle. Today, with expert inputs from Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Senior Oncologist at Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, let's have a look at the top 10 cancer symptoms that women simply must not ignore.

Unexplained weight loss: Persistent fever, weight loss, lethargy beyond 3-4 weeks might be a sign of cancer. Significant weight loss over a few months without any apparent cause, i.E. Unexplained weight loss, can be one of the main warning signs that you might be suffering from cancer. This happens most often with cancers of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, or lung.

Any oral ulcer that refuses to heal: If you have a mouth ulcer or white plaque in the mouth which has not healed for more than 3 weeks, then you must consult a doctor. If you use any form of tobacco (smoked or smokeless), stop that. This may be associated with constant irritation due to mal-aligned teeth; you must see a dentist and have the problem sorted as soon as possible as constant irritation to the buccal mucosa can also lead to problems. Congratulations!

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Login to view result Fever: Fever may be associated with some cancers, too. Almost all patients with cancer will have fever at some time or the other, especially if the cancer or its treatment affects the immune system. One can also find constitutional symptoms of fatigue with some kind of cancers.

Bloating, change in bowel habit, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or blood in stool: Symptoms of bowel cancer may include blood in your stools (bowel motion) or abdominal pain. The blood would usually be dark but can be bright red in colour. Fresh, bright red blood is usually a sign of piles (haemorrhoids). You may notice a change in your normal bowel pattern (such as diarrhoea or constipation) for no obvious reason. You might have a feeling of not having emptied your bowel properly after a bowel motion.Long standing cough with or without expectoration or Hemoptysis or hoarse voice: There are many medical conditions that can cause 'chesty' symptoms like coughing and breathlessness (for example, infections and inflammations), but in some cases these symptoms may be a sign of lung cancer. If you have a cough or feel breathless for more than two weeks you should see your doctor. You should also tell your doctor if you have any blood in your sputum (phlegm) when you cough.

Changes in the skin: One can witness changes in his/her appearance, boundary or colour in a pre-existing mole or appearance of new lesions. Skin cancer may be developing in some. Especially in people who often chew tobacco, smoke or drink alcohol, their skin sores might not heal. White patches inside the mouth or white spots on the tongue: It is also known as lenkoplakia, which may progress to oral cavity cancer later. Leukoplakia is a pre-cancerous area that is caused by frequent irritation. If it is not treated, leukoplakia can become oral cancer. Unusual bleeding or discharge: It can happen in early or advanced cancer. Blood in the sputum (phlegm) may be a sign of lung cancer. Blood in the stool could be a sign of colon or rectal cancer. Cancer of the cervix or the endometrium (lining of the uterus) can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding. Blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer. A bloody discharge from the nipple may be a sign of breast cancer. Thickening or lump in the breast or other parts of the body: These symptoms can be caused by many other reasons, other than cancer, and a doctor is the best person to identify the reason after necessary investigations. Instead of waiting for symptoms to surface, it would be better to opt for periodic health checkups.

Itching, crusting or bleeding: These are less common signs but should not be ignored. It is important to see your doctor if you have any unusual marks on the skin that last more than a few weeks, or an existing mole which shows any of the above signs. If necessary they will arrange for you to see a doctor who specialises in skin conditions (a dermatologist) or a surgeon.

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Endometrial Cancer Risk And Trends Among Distinct African-descent Populations

Current evidence indicates Black women in the U.S. Are at greater risk of developing advanced uterine cancer, also known as endometrial cancer, and of developing its more aggressive form—non-endometroid cancer—than white women.

But research to date has mostly studied Black women as a homogenous group, and there is limited data about specific African-descent subpopulations worldwide. That is until now.

A new study by researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine compared both the overall incidence and trends for endometrial cancer between African-descent women in the U.S. (Florida) and the French Caribbean, specifically the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, where most residents are Black or mixed-Black and quality health data is available.

Their study, which appears in Cancer, found that endometrial cancer rates are related to factors beyond ancestry, including social determinants of health such as diet, psychosocial and physiological chronic stress and neighborhood/built environmental factors, among others.

"We need to disentangle the endometrial cancer disparities among Black women by focusing more on subpopulations, specifically on differences between countries and their associated socioeconomic factors while concentrating on patterns for the deadlier non-endometrioid subtype," said Heidy N. Medina, Ph.D., MPH, researcher with UM's Miller School of Medicine and the study's corresponding author.

As of 2022, endometrial cancer was the fourth most common cancer for U.S. Black women with one of every 10 newly diagnosed cases being a woman of African descent, the authors noted. Black women experience a higher incidence than white women in the U.S. And their rates are rising more rapidly.

Medina and collaborators, including Frank Penedo, Ph.D., Sylvester's associate director for Cancer Survivorship and Translational Behavioral Sciences, Tulay Koru-Sengul, Ph.D., Matthew P. Schlumbrecht, MD, MPH, and senior author Paulo S. Pinheiro, MD, Ph.D., analyzed data on almost 35,000 endometrial cancer cases from Florida and the French Caribbean from 2005 to 2018 for this study. Key findings included:

Black women in the U.S. Had a higher incidence of endometrial cancer and its more aggressive non-endometrioid subtype than did U.S. White women, consistent with current evidence.

Surprisingly, French Caribbean women had the lowest incidence for both endometrioid and non-endometrioid subtypes.

Endometrioid uterine cancer increased 1.8% yearly for U.S. Black women and 1.2% for U.S. White women during the timeframe, with no change observed for French Caribbean women.

Rates of the more lethal non-endometrioid cancer subtype increased among all groups, with the greatest increase occurring among U.S. Black women.

"Our study supports current evidence that Black women in the U.S. Are disproportionately affected by endometrial cancer, but also highlights key differences among African-descent subpopulations that should not be overlooked," Penedo explained. "These differences among Black women in different regions of the world are partly due to social factors and not solely related to genetic factors."

Dr. Pinheiro, a Sylvester cancer epidemiologist, agreed. "This research shows cancer trends for U.S. Black women cannot be generalized to other African-descent populations worldwide where limited data exists," he said. "The study underscores the importance of improving data collection in specific regions to better assess cancer risks for different population groups."

Next steps, the researchers noted, are to examine differences between the majority African-descent populations of the French Caribbean to that of the predominantly white French mainland in collaboration with our colleagues in the Université des Antilles, Clarisse Joachim, MD, Ph.D. And Jacqueline Deloumeaux, MD, Ph.D., to better pinpoint existing disparities.

"Additionally, we must pay particular attention to investigate risk factors for the more aggressive non-endometrioid subtype that is rising among all three groups in our current research," Medina concluded.

More information: Heidy N. Medina et al, Endometrial cancer risk and trends among distinct African descent populations, Cancer (2023). DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34789

Provided by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Citation: Endometrial cancer risk and trends among distinct African-descent populations (2023, June 26) retrieved 28 June 2023 from https://medicalxpress.Com/news/2023-06-endometrial-cancer-trends-distinct-african-descent.Html

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