Awareness and prevention

According to Dr Bharat Vaswani , Senior Medical Oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, in its early stages, cancer may have no symptoms, but eventually a cancerous tumor will grow large enough to be detected and may then present with symptoms. The awareness of early signs and symptoms for cancer types such as skin, cervical, breast, colorectal and oral in order to get them diagnosed and treated at early stage is important.

The seven warning signs of cancer are

• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
• Wound or sore that does not heal
• Bleeding (unusual) or discharge
• Lumps or thickened areas in the breast, testicles, or elsewhere
• Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
• Change in the size, color, shape, or thickness of a wart, mole, or mouthsore
• Cough or hoarseness that doesn't respond to treatment

Any person with these symptoms should seek medical help and get screened at the earliest. Though the risk of developing cancer depends on a combination of our genes, environment and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are no proven ways to prevent cancer, but we can all greatly reduce our risk with some lifestyle changes and screening for early detection of precancerous conditions.

Advancing age is the most important risk factor for developing cancer. According to the recent surveillance, one quarter of cancer develops between 65 to 74 years of age. It is important to get the message across that it is never too late to make changes to your lifestyle, says Dr Bharat. Four out of 10 cancers cases can be prevented by making simple lifestyle changes.

Four simple steps to follow are- Daily Exercise, Stop smoking, Limit alcohol and a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Many lives can be saved if people with symptoms seek help earlier; treatment is often easier too. Again, talking to people about early presentation and possible symptoms to look out for as part of everyday role is invaluable when it comes to saving lives, Dr Bharat Vaswani concludes.