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HALF of us will face a diagnosis of cancer at some point in our lifetimes, statistics from Cancer Research UK reveal.
But by staying alert to changes in your body, you can help doctors to catch the disease early, when survival rates are higher.
While you might feel embarrassed to report symptoms or worry that you’re wasting your GP’s time, don’t – because speaking up could save your life.
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The changes you’ve noticed may be nothing serious, but the doctor is best placed to decide whether you need tests to rule out cancer.
The disease can spread from one part of the body to another in a process known as metastasis, so the sooner it’s spotted, the better the chance of stopping it.
Plus, early diagnosis may sometimes mean that more aggressive forms of treatment such as chemotherapy are not needed.
NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, says: “Cancer symptoms and early warning signs can be very varied, with some being less obvious than others.
“But what’s important to know is what is normal for you, so you can spot any changes. If you have concerns or if something in your body doesn’t feel quite right, you should contact your GP practice.
“It could be nothing, but diagnosing cancer earlier could save your life.”
Breast, lung, prostate and bowel cancer are the four most common types, but the disease takes more than 200 forms.
“The symptoms can be quite common,” Professor Johnson explains, “such as breathlessness, night sweats or feeling tired when you’re not sure why – but if something doesn’t feel right for you, please contact your local GP practice.
“Finding cancer earlier saves lives.”
‘I was having to change vests three times a night’
NIGHT sweats were the first sign that something wasn’t quite right for 45-year-old Ali Abdul Rofe.
The businessman from Redbridge, East London, also had less energy than normal and was having to nap at odd times of the day.
But he was busy with work, so it was all too easy to ignore the symptoms, which he put down to other factors.
“I assumed it was to do with weight gain and stress,” he recalls.
“I thought nothing of it and continued living as normal, as I was generally a healthy, fit person and hardly ever went to the GP.”
Over time, though, the night sweating got more extreme.
“I was having to change my vests two to three times a night,” he says.
By 2016, about a year after his symptoms began, the night sweats became unbearable.
Ali finally decided to make an appointment with his GP.
After blood tests, an x-ray and biopsy, doctors thought that it was tuberculosis.
But Ali did not get better after receiving medication and further investigations in 2017 revealed that he had stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma – a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, with white blood cells multiplying in an abnormal way.
“I’ve had various treatments over the years,” Ali says, “including a stem cell transplant treatment in February 2022 that was successful, and now I’m working back to recovery without medication.”
He wants to encourage others to seek medical help as early as possible if bodily changes cause them concern.
“I would like to request everyone who feels anything unusual in their health to go and see the GP,” Ali urges.
“It may not be anything serious, but it could be a sign of cancer, and finding it early makes it more treatable and could save your life.”
‘I thought I was just getting old’
IF IT hadn’t been for his wife, Shawleen, then John Hopkins, 64, might have shrugged off the symptoms of prostate cancer.
It was 2019 and the grandfather from Sheffield was getting up four or five times in the night to pee.
“I thought I was just getting old,” he says. “When our sex life changed – I struggled to ejaculate, and when I did, it was a funny colour – I didn’t connect the two.”
Thankfully, Shawleen worked as a phlebotomist, taking blood samples for a living, and knew he should get checked out by his GP, who referred him for numerous tests before a consultant confirmed the cancer diagnosis.
John says: “We discussed the different options: surgery to remove the prostate, two types of chemo and ultrasound, or just watch and wait.
“I knew immediately that I wanted surgery to get it out – I knew the possible side-effects included incontinence and erectile dysfunction.”
Luckily, doctors caught the disease before it spread to other parts of his body and it was removed by a surgical robot.
But he was one of the 3 per cent of unlucky patients left with ongoing incontinence after the operation.
John accepted that he’d have to live with it and was delighted to get the all-clear in March 2020.
Then in January last year he was fitted with an artificial urinary device, which he says has “transformed my life”.
“I have a control button in my scrotum and when I press it I can go for a wee,” John explains. “No more accidents.”
And he got a tattoo to symbolise his prostate cancer recovery, which has been a great conversation starter with other men.
“It allows me to say, ‘Notice what’s happening with your body and get checked,’” he says. “Not everyone’s lucky enough to have a Shawleen.”
Spot the signs
IT MIGHT turn out to be nothing serious, but make an appointment with your GP if something in your body doesn’t feel right or if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Breathlessness
- Frequent infections
- Unexplained night sweats
- Unexpected bruising or bleeding
- Blood in your pee – even just once
- Blood in your poo, which may look red or black
- An unexplained lump
- Unexplained weight loss
FOR THREE WEEKS OR MORE:
- Tummy trouble, such as discomfort or diarrhoea
- Unexplained pain or discomfort
- Feeling tired and unwell, and not sure why
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Unusual, pale or greasy poo
- A cough
The NHS in England also runs three national screening programmes for cervical, breast and bowel cancer for people who don’t have symptoms.
If you are eligible make sure you take part when invited.
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If something doesn’t feel right, contact your GP practice. Find out more at nhs.uk/cancersymptoms