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Symptoms of cancer |
- Local symptoms of cancer
- General symptoms of cancer
- Local treatment side effects
- General treatment side effects
This section provides general tips and guidance on the symptoms patients may experience either because of the cancer itself or those related to treatment side effects.
- An abnormal lump anywhere in the body
- Coughing up blood
- Hoarse voice
- Unexplained pain
- Unexplained change in bowel habit
- Unexplained breathlessness
- Abnormal bleeding
- A fit, loss of sensation, power or co-ordination.
- Blood in the urine
- Change in waterworks
General symptoms of the cancer
- Nausea
- Weight loss
- Symptoms of a high calcium - dehydration, nausea, depression, confusion.
- Symptoms of anaemia - fatigue, breathlessness, ankle swelling
- Symptoms of liver damage- itching, juandice, dark urine, pale stool
General side effects of the treatments
Local side effects of treatments
With chemotherapy this refers to discomfort in the veins. With surgery or radiotherapy there can be some general affects such as fatigue and nausea but most of the side effects are local and depend on the area of the body treated. The radiotherapy section describes in detail the risks of local side effects for specific areas of the body. e.g.
Further general information Your doctors and specialist nurses are in an ideal position to give you relevant information on your disease and treatment as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the cancer journey.