“Dr. Chet” warns to be careful, if you have these symptoms, it could be “cancer” in 6 months, don’t wait until it’s too late.
*Dr. Chet” warns to be careful, having symptoms like this could be “cancer” in 6 months. If you know early, you have a chance to be cured, don’t wait too late.
Dr. Jessada Boonyawongwirot, Deputy Director of Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, posted a message on the สนใจสมัคร? คลิกที่นี่เพื่อเริ่มต้น Facebook page, Mor Chet, stating that if you experience unexplained weight loss, you may be at risk of cancer.
Be careful! If you have these symptoms, you may have “cancer” in 6 months.
1. What kind of weight loss do you need to watch out for? When your weight drops unexpectedly, without dieting or exercising more, some people may think it’s a good thing. But in reality, if your weight drops more than 5% of your body weight in a period of 6-12 months (for example, from 70 kilograms to 66 kilograms without doing anything), there might be something more to it.
The latest research, “Prioritising primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: diagnostic accuracy study (update) Brian D Nicholson et al. BMJ. 2024.” studied more than 300,000 people and found that suddenly losing weight like this could be a sign of cancer, especially if it occurs in people over 50 years old or if there are other symptoms. It would be good if it is found early, so there is a chance of immediate treatment. But the scary thing is that many people overlook it.
2. Who is at the highest risk? When it comes to the chances of weight loss being related to cancer, this research indicates that the high-risk group is:
- Men aged 50 and over
- Women aged 60 years and over
- People who used to smoke
- People who have other symptoms along with weight loss
For this group of people, the chance of developing cancer within 6 months of starting to lose weight is more than 3%, which is high enough for doctors to recommend serious cancer screening.
For younger people, if they do not have other symptoms, their chances of having cancer are quite low (less than 3%), which means that there is no need to rush to get tested for cancer right away.
3. What symptoms do you need to keep an eye on? Weight loss on its own may not indicate much, but if it comes with other symptoms, the chances of having cancer increase. This research found that in men, there are 17 symptoms that are related to cancer, such as constant fatigue, frequent stomachaches, jaundice (yellow body and eyes), chronic coughing for no reason, difficulty swallowing, vomiting blood, blood in the urine, and a lump in the rectum.
In women, there are 8 symptoms related to cancer, such as chronic back pain, jaundice, a palpable mass in the pelvis, vomiting blood, and blood in the urine.
If these symptoms occur along with weight loss, the chance of having cancer increases several times. For example, in men, if fatigue occurs along with weight loss, the chance of having cancer increases by 1.43 times. But if a lump is found in the anus, the chance is as high as 21 times.
For women, if they have back pain and weight loss, the chance of getting cancer increases by 1.28 times, and if they have a lump in the pelvis, the risk is as high as 19.46 times.
4. What can blood tests tell you? In addition to symptoms, research has also found that some abnormal blood test values may be an indicator of cancer, especially values related to inflammation or changes in blood cells, such as:
- Low albumin (3.24 times increased chance of cancer)
- High platelet count (3.48 times)
- High white blood cell count (3.01 times)
- High C-reactive protein (CRP) values (3.13 times)
However, no blood test can tell you for sure that you don’t have cancer. Therefore, if your blood test results are normal but you still have suspicious symptoms, your doctor may still need to do further tests.
5. What should we do next? If you just lose weight because you exercise or eat less, then don’t worry. But if you lose weight without any known reason and have the following symptoms, go see a doctor right away.
- Weight loss >5% within 6-12 months without any reason.
- Feeling chronically tired or having no appetite
- Abdominal pain, chronic cough, difficulty swallowing, jaundice, vomiting blood
- Feel an abnormal lump, such as in the pelvis or rectum.
- Abnormal blood test results, such as high platelet count, high white blood cell count, high CRP
In short, if you are 50 years old or older (or 60 years old for women) and have been losing weight for no reason, along with strange symptoms, you should see a doctor to get tested for cancer. Don’t wait until it’s too late, because early detection increases the chances of a cure.
For younger people, if they do not have any other symptoms, the chance of having cancer is still low. However, if they have the symptoms mentioned above, they should not ignore it.
However, it does not mean that everyone who loses weight has cancer. There may be other causes such as chronic diseases, changes in eating habits, or stress. It is recommended to see a doctor to find the cause. It is better than regretting later.