Dealing With Cancer…How To Proceed

Many cancer symptoms mimic the symptoms of other diseases, so it is easy for anyone to be misled. All doctors agree on one thing though: Get to know your body and if you notice any unusual pain or change that gets worse, see your doctor. If you have already had a diagnosis then you may want to spread further awareness to other women. Here are some signs you should not ignore.

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Bleeding after menopause

It is not uncommon for some women to have some bleeding after menopause. But if menstrual bleeding starts suddenly and persists, then it could be a warning sign of uterine cancer. The good news is that women diagnosed with stage 1 uterine cancer and while the cancer had not metastasized had a five-year survival rate of up to 88%.

Breast discoloration, or other changes 

Women usually panic when they grab something in their breast. However, any change in the breast can be a symptom of cancer. If you notice that the skin of the breast changes color, gets a deeper red or pink, then you should consult your doctor, says Rich Wender of the American Cancer Society. “Not all signs are necessarily cancer but that is why women are slow to seek help because they hope it is nothing.”

Stomach pain or nausea 

Stomach aches are so common that it rarely means that one of them is a sign of cancer. 

But if you notice persistent stomach cramps or suddenly feel nauseous all the time and have no signs of improvement, then consult a doctor. It can be a simple ulcer, but it could also be a symptom of leukemia or cancer of the esophagus, liver, pancreas or colon. 

Frequent fevers or infections 

If you are healthy, but notice that you often get sick often, or have a fever often, this could be an early symptom of leukemia. In any case, a fever that does not go away for days must be examined where it comes from and treated. Do not put any of the symptoms down to poor mental health. 

Difficulty swallowing

A sore throat can cause difficulty swallowing, but if you notice that it persists for a few weeks and gets worse, see your doctor. This is a common sign of stomach cancer and can also be an early sign of lung cancer. 

Types of treatments you may encounter 

Depending on the type of cancer you have, you may have some treatment choices, aside from chemotherapy and radiation as well as surgery, there are some other options. Proton cancer treatment has been used for many years and can be a preferred choice – you should look into its benefits and how it could help. Immunotherapy is also another option. Immunotherapy stimulates the patient’s immune system and teaches it to target and attack cancer cells. This is achieved by immunostimulating the patient’s body with agents that act in various ways, such as e.g. vaccines that train the body to recognize cancer cells and destroy them. Our body’s immune system functions as a monitoring system to protect against what it perceives as foreign substances. For example, when our immune system detects harmful bacteria or a virus in our body, it reacts by producing specific proteins (antibodies) that attack and destroy the invaders. Our immune system also treats cancer cells as foreign invaders, but due to some system failure it often does not recognize the cancer cells. For years, researchers have been looking for ways to improve the body’s natural defense response to cancer cells.