The chances of cure for any disease involve the moment of diagnosis: the sooner doctors determine what is happening, the faster treatment can be started and the better the patient’s prognosis. It is no different with cancer.
However, not every tumor causes symptoms that, when investigated, reveal the disease. These cancers are known as silent, and they develop without the patient’s knowledge. When the signs appear, the picture is often already considered advanced.
See which are the four most silent types of cancer, according to oncologist Wesley Pereira Andrade, master and doctor in oncology and member of the European Society of Oncological Surgery.
Ovary cancer
According to Andrade, ovarian cancer is the most silent tumor because, at an early stage, it does not manifest itself. The organ also has many positioning limitations, making it difficult to visualize it in imaging exams.
Furthermore, unlike other types of cancer, the ovarian tumor does not affect the organ itself, but its surface, and can rapidly contaminate the abdominal cavity.
In more advanced stages, “cancer cells begin to produce liquid, which gives the impression of heaviness in the abdominal region. The patient then has the sensation of a full bowel and bladder”, explains the oncologist.
Other symptoms are:
- Swollen belly;
- Weight loss;
- Vaginal bleeding;
- Weakness.
pancreas cancer
Like the ovary, the pancreas is difficult to visualize and, when affected by cancer, releases cells that contaminate other organs, especially the liver, says the oncologist.
The symptoms of the disease only manifest themselves when the tumor obstructs the bile channel, which, in general, is released in the intestine. “If the channel clogs up, the substance, instead of going to the intestine, spreads through the body through the bloodstream, causing the person to have a yellowish skin”, comments Andrade. The other symptoms of cancer are:
- Lack of appetite;
- Anemia;
- Acholia fecal (light-colored stools);
- Coluria (dark colored urine).
bowel cancer
Bowel cancer, when it affects the right part of the organ, can be silent. On this side, the lumen (tube-shaped cavity) is thicker, providing more space for the tumor to develop unnoticed.
At an early stage, bowel cancer is asymptomatic. However, when the condition is advanced, the patient may notice symptoms such as:
- Bleeding in the stool;
- Bowel obstruction;
- Fecal vomiting (when there is obstruction of the digestive tract and the substance of the large intestine, including fecal matter, is part of the vomit)
- Frequent urge to go to the bathroom.
Breast cancer
Andrade explains that some types of breast cancer are traitors, especially lobular carcinoma. It is usually not detected in routine exams, and when the patient discovers the tumor, it is usually already at a very advanced stage. The symptoms of breast cancer are:
- Blood discharge from the nipples;
- Emergence of swollen glands in the armpits;
- Breast skin similar to the peel of an orange.
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