Common cancer signs you are likely to ignore

A woman undergoes breast cancer screening in Kampala in 2019. Photo | File

What you need to know:

  • These symptoms, which sometimes manifest at the earliest stages of cancer development, may be mistaken for other illnesses.

The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has said cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer in Uganda, claiming an estimated 2,160 people annually.

It is estimated that 33,000 Ugandans are diagnosed with cancer every year, according to the UCI.

The director for research and training at UCI, Dr Nixon Niyonzima, told the Monitor yesterday that of these, 3,915 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, 2,160 of whom end up dying.

Dr Niyonzima explained that in its earliest stages of development, cervical cancer does not present any visual and physical symptoms like other cancers.

He said its symptoms start manifesting when it has spread to other tissues, making it difficult to contain.

Dr Niyonzima outlined some of the cervical cancer signs that are most likely to be ignored at the initial stage as irregular menstrual cycles, pain during sexual intercourse and lower back pain.

 “Any changes and disruptions in the regular routine of menstrual cycle may be linked to a future with cervical cancer,” he said.

Dr Niyonzima said while the above symptoms may not be cervical cancer related, it is advisable to go for cancer screening.

Dr Noleb Mugisha, the head of cancer control and prevention at UCI, noted that when cancers are developing, there are no complaints or pain, emphasising the need to go for cancer screening. He said although the most common symptom in almost all cancers is weight loss, different types have different signs that are likely to be ignored at the beginning.

For instance, difficulty in passing urine, which, he said, is the most likely complaint commonly associated with prostate cancer, can also be due to age.

“If it happens that this enlarged prostate has cancer as well, it is going to be a sign of that cancer. But many men will have a normal size or a prostate enlarged but not enlarged enough to cause symptoms and will still have the cancer,” Dr Mugisha said.

For lower back pain, he said: “The sign of lower back pain would also be a sign that the cancer has gone in the backbone in the lower back; at this point, the cancer is already advanced.” Dr Mugisha said symptoms among children such as being sickly, having fever, stunting, loss of appetite and loss of weight may be signs of leukaemia/blood cancer.

He explained that leukaemia in children is very aggressive and progresses very fast.

For breast cancer, which, he said, is second commonest in women, it presents the symptom of swelling in the breast. He explained that in some cases, the whole breast can get swollen while in others, it can discharge a bloody discharge from the nipple.

The commonest sign of lung cancer is loss of weight and a person may also have chest pain or cough.

Dr Mugisha says many people ignore early signs and symptoms and tend to go to hospital when it is too late.

 “All these signs people can ignore, because cancer doesn’t cause pain when it is early and usually what takes people to the hospital is unbearable discomfort. In cancer what brings people pain and pain comes when it’s late,” Dr Mugisha says.