Patients with stage 3 to 4 cancer ask, "I had no symptoms... why?" They say they had no symptoms at all, only realizing when their body was in pain. Myocardial infarction, which threatens life, mainly presents with chest pain. Prompt action can save lives and minimize sequelae. However, some cancers have almost no symptoms even in the late stages. Since they are discovered late, cancer is the leading cause of death among diseases. Is there any way to detect cancer a little earlier?

 

Even if it hurts, remain silent... "Discovered late, cancer has metastasized, surgery is not possible"

The organs inside the body affected by cancer remain silent even when they hurt. Myocardial infarction or stroke (ischemic stroke-hemorrhagic stroke) show symptoms such as chest pain (heart disease) or headache and paralysis on one side of the body when blood flow is blocked due to a clogged blood vessel, but cancer cells gradually eat away at normal cells and invade other organs. According to the National Cancer Information Center, surgery is the primary treatment for cancer. However, if detected too late, surgery may not be possible. When cancer metastasizes (distant metastasis) to other organs, it becomes untreatable. By the time cancer symptoms are felt, the disease is often quite advanced. Most early-detected cancers are often found incidentally during health checkups.

Common cancer symptoms... weight loss, fatigue, abdominal discomfort Why?

According to data from the Korea National Statistical Office, the ranking of cancer mortality rates in Korea (2022) is as follows: lung cancer – liver cancer – colon cancer – pancreatic cancer – stomach cancer. Common symptoms include weight loss, fatigue, and abdominal discomfort. As cancer cells grow, they absorb nutrients from normal cells, leading to weight loss and fatigue. These symptoms do not appear in the early stages of cancer. They only become noticeable when the disease has progressed significantly. Especially for people who are losing weight, there may be a misconception that "the diet is working." Regardless of dieting, if you have recently lost weight rapidly, it is advisable to suspect cancer.

 

Common digestive disorder, abdominal pain... Pancreatic cancer and liver cancer also start with indigestion, jaundice in quite advanced cases

 

Pancreatic cancer, which is considered difficult to detect early, often begins with common indigestion and fatigue. Suspecting this as cancer is not easy. Recently, its association with diabetes has increased, so diabetes patients should pay close attention to common digestive issues, weight loss, fatigue, and abdominal pain. Since the pancreas secretes insulin, sudden blood sugar control issues or the development of new diabetes can be signs of pancreatic cancer.

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Symptoms of liver cancer include pain in the upper right abdomen where the liver is located, a feeling of a lump, abdominal bloating, weight loss, severe fatigue, and indigestion. When pancreatic cancer and liver cancer progress significantly, jaundice appears, causing the face and eyes to turn yellow. When jaundice occurs, urine becomes dark brown or red, and the color of stool also changes to white or gray.

 

I thought it was a common cough, but it turned out to be lung cancer... Colon and stomach cancers are detected early thanks to endoscopy.

 

According to the National Cancer Registration Statistics (published in December 2023), 277,523 cancer patients were diagnosed in 2021. About half of them are middle-aged patients in their 50s and 60s. Lung cancer, which ranks first in cancer mortality in Korea, is very difficult to diagnose even after it has progressed to some extent, as it presents only mild symptoms such as cold-like cough and phlegm without any other abnormalities. Due to the effects of air pollution, radon, and fine dust, the number of female patients who do not smoke is increasing. Low-dose lung cancer CT scans help in early detection.

Colorectal and stomach cancers have high mortality rates despite the availability of a reliable early detection method called endoscopy. In the early stages, there are usually no symptoms, but if changes in bowel habits, blood in stool (colorectal cancer), indigestion, or heartburn (stomach cancer) are experienced, the cancer is likely quite advanced. According to national cancer screening programs, individuals over 40 should undergo gastroscopy every two years, and those over 50 should have a colonoscopy if abnormalities are found in stool tests. If there is a family history or other risk factors, regular screenings are recommended even in their 30s.

 

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We should try low-dose chest CT scans for our family as well.

Lungs and liver: silent organs of lung and liver cancer

Once diagnosed with cancer, metastasis becomes a concern.

They say that even with a health check-up, these kinds of issues don't usually show up.