Scientists identify 8 telltale signs of cancer

The warning symptoms do not necessarily mean that cancer is present. They could be just signs of a benign disease.

Nevertheless, medical experts emphasize the need to identify and act on any alterations in the body immediately because if cancer is detected at an early stage it is often curable.

Professor Amanda Howe, honorary secretary of the Royal College of General Practitioners said, "It's useful to see these well known 'red flag' symptoms and signs validated in primary care research, and reinforces the importance of encouraging patients to discuss worrying symptoms early with their GP.

"Access and thorough examinations will help early diagnosis while further research gives us more detailed epidemiological thresholds for referral."

The experts zeroed on the eight perceptible signs were after a thorough analysis of 25 studies from UK, US, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Denmark, and Germany.

They found that the symptoms predicted the risk of the lethal disease quite accurately with one in 20 chance of them being linked to a malignancy.

Age an important factor
Age is an important factor at which patients should be most concerned by the symptoms, which include blood in urine and anaemia.

Dr. Kevin Barraclough, a GP from Stroud stated, "Iron deficiency anemia in a 21-year old female is extremely unlikely to be due to colorectal cancer, whereas in a 60-year old male, cancer is likely.”

The major signs of cancer
According to the study, bleeding from the rectum indicates bowel cancer in the elderly. Trace of blood in urine is a sign of urological cancers.

There is a chance of colon cancer if a person is experiencing iron deficiency anemia. A lump in the breast specifies breast cancer.

Furthermore, the scientists pointed out that potential prostate cancer can also be detected through a rectal examination.

Coughing up blood could be a potential case of lung cancer, post-menopausal bleeding can be a symptom of gynaecological cancer and difficulties with swallowing could be a sign of oesophageal cancer.

A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said, "The particular symptoms this study has highlighted are already thought of as important potential signs of cancer, but there are more than 200 different types of cancer, which cause many different symptoms.

"So if you notice an unusual or persistent change in your body it's important to get it checked out. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is often more likely to be successful."

The research was published in the 'British Journal of General Practice.'