Throughout
the
world,

cancer
rates
are
increasing,
particularly
in

adults
under
50.

The
exact
reason
why
cancer
diagnoses
are
on
the
rise
isn’t
completely
known,
but

Dr.
Christopher
Cann,
an
oncologist
and
the
executive
director
of
Fox
Chase
Cancer
Center’s
Young
Adult
Cancer
program
in
Philadelphia,
said
there
are
likely
“environmental”
exposures,
such
as
pesticides
and
PFAS,
at
play.

Dr.
Monisha
Singh,
a
gastrointestinal
and
gynecologic
oncologist
at
Houston
Methodist
Hospital,
said
that
pollution
and
plastics
are
also
not
great
for
health,
and
diet
changes
in
recent
decades
may
also
impact
cancer
rates.

With
increasing
cases
of
many
different
kinds
of

cancer,
it’s
important
to
understand
the
common
signs
and
to
seek
care
if
you
notice
any
concerning
changes.

“One
of
the
biggest
things
that
I
would
say
is
that
…
you
know
your
body
better
than
anybody
else,”
Cann
said.
“If
you
think
there
is
something
wrong,
try
your
best
to
advocate
for
yourself.”

No
problem
is
too
small
to
bring
to
your
doctor’s
attention,
and
it
could
be
lifesaving
to
do
so.

“As
we
know
in
oncology
and
in
cancer
care,
the
earlier
you
can
get
diagnosed,
usually
the
better
your
prognosis
is,”
Singh
said.

Below,
doctors
share
the
commonly
missed
signs
of
cancer
that
you
should
know
about.

Unintentional
weight
loss.

If
you’re
losing
weight
without
trying,
it
could
be
a
sign
that
something
is
off
with
your
health.

This
doesn’t
mean
shedding
a
pound
or
two
unexpectedly;
“we’re
talking
weight
that
is
10
pounds,
over
10
pounds,
unintentionally
over
several
weeks
to
months,”
Cann
said.

“That
can
be
a
signal
that
your
body
is
going
through
a
significant
amount
of
stress,”
he
added,
which
could
include
cancer.

Chronic
fatigue.

“I
always
like
to
mention
fatigue,”
Cann
said,
but
what
makes
fatigue
tough
is
it’s
extremely
common
as
people
move
through
their
lives,
take
care
of
kids
and
aging
parents,
work
and
more.

“But
when
it
becomes
to
the
point
that
the
fatigue
is
affecting
your
job
or
affecting
your
quality
of
life,
that
demands
that
you
seek
evaluation
to
understand
why
that
is
happening,”
Cann
added.

There
are
many
causes
of
chronic
fatigue,
but
one
cause
is
cancer.

Changes
in
urination.

Men
who
notice
any
changes
in
urination,
such
as
blood
in
the
urine,
peeing
more
often
or
having
a
weaker
stream
should
talk
to
a
doctor,
Singh
said.

“Most
likely
that’s
just
going
to
be
benign
prostatic
hyperplasia,
benign
enlargement
of
the
prostate,
but
you
never
know
when
it’s
going
to
be
a
tumor
that’s
actually
causing
that
in
your
prostate,”
Singh
said.

Prostate
cancer
is
common
in
men,

with
one
in
eight
receiving
a
diagnosis
in
their
lifetime.
There
are
screening
tests
and
effective
treatments
for
the
disease.

Changes
in
stool.

Most
people
know
that
blood
in
stool
is
a
major
red
flag,
especially
as
rates
of
colorectal
cancer

are
increasing
in
young
adults.

“Anyone
who
has
that
…
deserves
an
evaluation
by
a
GI
doctor
and
possibly
a
colonoscopy,”
Cann
said.
Too
often,
particularly
in
younger
adult
patients,
blood
in
the
stool
is
attributed
to
hemorrhoids,
which
it
can
be,
but
can
also
be
colon
cancer,
he
noted.

“Another
thing
patients
should
be
watching
out
for
in
the
GI
malignancy
realm
is
black
stool.
That
can
be
an
indication
of
something
bad
happening
in
the
esophagus
or
in
the
stomach
area,”
Singh
explained.

It’s
also
important
to
pay
attention
to
any
persistent
bowel
change
habits,
such
as
more
constipation
or
diarrhea
than
usual,
bloating
or
abdominal
pain.
“If
this
is
a
persistent
issue,
go
and
talk
to
your
doctor,”
Singh
stressed.

Difficulty
swallowing.

“When
it
comes
to
a
GI
perspective,
I’m
seeing
more
and
more
…
esophageal
and
gastric
cancers,”
said
Cann.

This
can
be
related
to
alcohol
consumption,
smoking
or
even
chronic
acid
reflux,
he
added.
These
cancers
can
also
be
caused
by
sporadic
mutations.

“But
what
we’re
finding
…
difficulty
swallowing
…
where
swallowing
becomes
not
necessarily
painful
but
just
harder
to
do,
that
is
a
sign
that
you
go
talk
to
a
doctor
to
see
if
we
need
to
look
down
and
see
in
your
esophagus
if
there’s
anything
that’s
changing,”
Cann
said.

New
or
growing
spots
on
your
skin.

Rates
of
skin
cancer
throughout
the
United
States
are
also

increasing.
If
you
notice
a
change
in
your
skin,
such
as
a
new
spot,
mole
or
bump,
or
a
changing
spot,
mole
or
bump,
it’s
worth
seeing
a
dermatologist.

Skin
cancer
happens
in
people
of
all
ages
and
all
different
skin
colors,
according
to
Singh.
“Anyone
can
get
skin
cancer,”
she
said.

If
you
do
notice
something
suspicious,
get
it
checked
out,
Singh
added,
“because
skin
cancer,
especially
melanoma,
being
caught
earlier
stages,
far
superior
than
we
finding
it
in
your
lungs
and
lymph
nodes.”

Intense
night
sweats.

Getting
a
little
sweaty
overnight

can
be
normal
and
is
also
common
during
menopause
or
a
bad
respiratory
virus.
But
drenching
night
sweats
that
require
changing
your
clothes
in
the
middle
of
the
night
can
be
a
sign
of
something
more,
Singh
said.

“That
is
not
normal.
That
needs
to
be
discussed
with
a
physician,”
she
said.
“While
it,
once
again,
may
not
be
anything
serious
[it
could]
be
a
presentation
of
lymphoma.”

Everyone
should
stay
up
to
date
on
cancer
screenings
and
follow
healthy
lifestyle
habits.

While
cancer
can
be
genetic,
there
are
also
lifestyle
choices
that
can
help
lower
your
risk
of
developing
it,
along
with
screening
tools
that
can
help
catch
it
early.

Talk
to
your
primary
care
provider
to
learn
when
you
should
start

necessary
cancer
testing
such
as
mammograms,
colonoscopies,
blood
tests
and
pap
smears.
For
people
with
a
family
history
of
cancer,
you
will
likely
be
told
to
start
cancer
screenings
earlier
than
the
recommended
age.

“I
always
reinforce
talking
to
your
family
if
you
have
the
ability
to
talk
to
them
about
their
medical
history,
so
that
you
can
have
the
knowledge
to
work
with
and
relay
to
your
primary
care
doctor
or
your
physician,
so
that
you
can
get
screened
appropriately,”
Cann
said.

Beyond
tests
and
screenings,
it’s
important
to
do
what
you
can
to
lower
your
individual
cancer
risk.
This
includes
not
smoking,
not
vaping,
limiting
alcohol
intake,
exercising
and
following
a
healthy
diet,
both
doctors
said.

And
if
you
do
notice
any
concerning
symptoms
or
changes,
don’t
delay
or
ignore
them,
Singh
stressed.
Instead,
reach
out
to
your
doctor
and
advocate
for
yourself
—
even
if
that
means
finding
a
new
doctor.

“If
you
run
into
a
barrier
where
you
feel
like
the
doctor
is
not
listening
to
you,
you
have
to
either
advocate
for
yourself
or
get
a
second
opinion,”
Singh
said.
“You
want
to
keep
pushing
until
you
make
sure
everything’s
OK.”

Health
insurance
hurdles,
denied
coverage
and
the
cost
of
healthcare
in
this
country
can
make
advocating
for
yourself
and
getting
certain
medical
tests
costly.
But
as
cancer
rates
increase,
it’s
only
becoming
more
likely
that
some
of
the
bothersome
things
that
people
attribute
to
stress
or
getting
older
is
not
just
that.

“If
you
feel
like
something
is
just
not
quite
right,
listen
to
your
body
…
and
seek
out
medical
evaluation
just
so
we
can
be
sure,”
Cann
said.
“And
if
it
comes
up
as
nothing,
that
provides
you
the
reassurance
that
you’re
doing
all
the
right
things.
It’s
never
wrong
to
seek
that
out.”