Today I would discuss 7 signs and symptoms, with the help of which cancer can be diagnosed in its early stages.

Friends, it is very important to diagnose and treat cancer in its early stages. The stage at which cancer is diagnosed decides whether cancer can be completely cured or not.

In early stages, cancer does not show any signs and symptoms. But gradually as cancer or malignant tumor grows it becomes easy to detect it. So, you can understand it is very important and it can make a major difference in the outcome of the disease and treatment process.

To remember these 7 early signs and symptoms we should think of the word ‘CAUTION’ which means “be very careful.”

The first word is ‘C’: Change in bladder or bowel habits.

It includes symptoms like frequent urination, no urination at all, constipation, diarrhea, or frequent motions.

The second word of caution is ‘A’: Means ‘a sore’ that does not heal.

Any ulcer or aphthae which does not heal or if it heals it recurs. This kind of ulcer or sore can happen anywhere on or in the body like on the skin, inside mouth, in the stomach, on or inside private areas (sexual organs). It can happen anywhere.

The third word is ‘U’: Unusual discharge or bleeding.

It includes bleeding or any abnormal discharge from the body; for example, bleeding from mouth, bleeding from rectum, bleeding from urethra; or apart from bleeding any other abnormal discharge.

The fourth word of caution is ‘T’: Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere.

It means any abnormal growth or tumor in the body, for example, tumor in breast or any other abnormal growth in any other part of the body. It is very necessary to get these growths checked.

The fifth word is ‘I’ – Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.

It comprises of difficulty in swallowing, difficulty in digesting food and formation of gas. All these can be early signs of cancer.

The sixth word of CAUTION is ‘O’: Obvious change in a wart or mole.

If there is any wart or mole or skin tag on your body; and if its size is slowly increasing, it is changing in color, it is very painful or it becomes active; then it becomes very important because it may be an early sign of cancer. It is important to get it checked.

The seventh and last word is ‘N’: Nagging cough or hoarseness.

A cough which is since long and not getting better or even if it gets better it recurs. Hoarseness of voice which is not getting better.