Some cancer can be asymptomatic. The problem is that they can lead to a diagnosis that is too late and reduce the chances of recovery. They can be sly and involve discrete signals, which seem innocuous, and do not lead to alert. Hence the importance of listening to one’s body, of not hesitating to talk about its manifestations and above all of carrying out screenings when recommended.
” All organs can become cancerous: some are visible, palpable and others are concealed inside the bodyexplains the Dr Alain Toledano, President of the Rafaël Institute, European center for integrative medicine supporting patients during and after cancer. By way of example, if one can locate a size which can signify (or not) a potential breast cancer thanks to palpation, it is more difficult to identify ovarian or colon cancer without a medical examination “.
The diagnosis tends to be more late on organs that do not allow direct palpation. ” If we want to be able to detect a Colon Cancer or ovary at an early stage, it is necessary to perform an examination, such as colonoscopy for the colonadds the oncologist. This does not mean that you have to do exams all the time! “.
Silent cancer: what (innocuous) signs should alert you?
” There isn’t one only symptom signed by cancer “recalls Dr. Toledano. Certain signals can be the harbingers of cancer, but they can also result from a dysfunctional organ.
“A person who spits blood for example: it can conceal lung cancer but also tuberculosis. Another may have water in the belly: this may be due to cancer but also to decompensation or cirrhosis. This is also the case with constipation, which is one of the symptoms of colorectal cancer: it can be linked to diet, stress, and a host of other reasons. It is a mistake to correlate a symptom with a type of cancer “, explains our specialist.
Furthermore, the prognosis of asymptomatic cancers is not not always bad. ” Kidney cancer is a good example: it is often detected after another examination. When diagnosed at an asymptomatic stage, it can be treated before it has had time to metastasize “.
Clearly, the prognosis is not always pejorative provided that the disease can be detected at an early stage.
You also have to know how to make allowances and alert yourself if you present risk factors. For example, a cough becomes suspicious if it persists for several weeks in a heavy smoker. If you are over 50 and overweight, blood in the stool should be a warning sign. If so, your doctor will order a colonoscopy.
The 3 good reflexes against silent cancers: discuss, listen to your body and get screened
” You have to be able to alert when necessary, but not frighten. Any symptom should alert without making you hypochondriac “. For Dr Toledano, the important thing is to make the patient aware of the good reflexes.
For starters, don’t be afraid to talk. Many patients observe symptoms that they consider harmless or that they prefer to ignore for fear that it is serious. ” We must discuss to diagnose the problem, fight against the denial and the fear that sometimes makes us neglect our health “. Fortunately, most of the time, the mild symptoms are not serious! However, talking about it will simply allow you to treat the cause and live better.
Be listening to your body and the signals they send you and be up to date with your screenings. The latter precisely make it possible to detect so-called silent cancers. ” This is the case of colonoscopy, recommended every 5 years from the age of 50. If you have a history of colon cancer in your family, it’s every 3 years “recalls the doctor.
