Cancer: Once you choose hope, anything is possible

Why the young should not ignore early symptoms that could actually indicate cancerous growth.

It's great to be young. The energy, the vitality almost make you feel invincible. Nothing is impossible and nothing can happen to you. This often makes you neglect and abuse your body. Often you can get away with it but there are some warning signs that should not be neglected. As an oncologist, I often see younger patients with more extensive disease than older patients because the patient as well as the treating physician tends to neglect symptoms that can be the harbinger of cancer.

There are certain types of cancers that are far commoner in the Indian subcontinent due to our habit of tobacco intake, be it smoking, gutkha or tobacco chewing. Constant exposure to tobacco predisposes to a variety of cancers like lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, urinary bladder cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer but by the commonest is cancer of the oral cavity.

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Dr Sanket Mehta (www.drsanketmehta.com) is consultant Oncosurgeon at Bombay Hospital and Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai. He can be reached at drmehtasanket@gmail.com.

The time and degree of exposure to tobacco required to produce a cancer varies from person to person and there are no tests that are predictive. So if you have not been prudent enough and have been guilty of tobacco intake, and if you notice a small patch in the oral cavity or a swelling or non-healing ulcer, even though if it is not painful -- consider it an alarm because these may very well be an underlying malignancy. Other symptoms include difficulty in mouth opening or swallowing, change in voice, etc.

Of course there are certain types of cancers unrelated to habits like tobacco and alcohol intake that are common in the younger age group, and that are often treatable if diagnosed in time. These include tumors that are specific for these age groups like lymphomas and genital germ cell tumors.

These often manifest as a swelling in the neck, axilla or groin or in the testicles or abdomen. There may not be any associated discomfort until very late in the disease process. Hence, if you notice any unexplained swelling anywhere on your body, even though it does not cause any discomfort, consult your surgeon at the earliest.

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Another common cancer that can affect females even in the younger age group is breast cancer.

Never neglect a breast lump especially in the younger age group, because although quite a few breast lumps may be benign, those that are malignant tend to be more aggressive than the breast cancer that manifests in the older age group. One of the best methods of early detection in the younger age group, where mammography is not very efficient, is breast self-examination.

Any nipple discharge, skin thickening or any abnormal lump, even if pea sized, needs to be examined by a surgeon.

This is especially important if you have a relative like your mother or sister or aunt with breast cancer since that predisposes you to a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

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There are certain common symptoms that should not be neglected and can be because of an underlying malignancy. These include unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, bleeding in stools or urine, any prolonged fever or change in the bowel habits or any non-healing ulcer anywhere on the body.

Certain familial conditions can predispose to certain groups of cancers in the younger age group and these are widely known in the medical fraternity. These include BRCA1 and 2 genetic mutations related to breast and gynaecologic cancers, familial adenomatous polyposis and HNPCC genetic mutation related to colorectal cancers, etc.

There are also certain other diseases that occur in the younger age group and they can pre-dispose to cancer development later.

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Performing a surgery before cancer develops can prevent a few of them. For example, colorectal cancer can be prevented in patients with ulcerative colitis or adenomatous polyposis by performing a surgery even when there is no evidence of cancer.

Finally, one should always remember that getting a cancer is not the end of the world. A significant majority of these tumors can be treated quite effectively, even if in the advanced stage. We can always take courage from the likes of Lance Armstrong who had stage IV testicular cancer at a very young age and who went on to defeat the disease and rule the cycling world for almost a decade; or the Australian singer Delta Goodrem who braved Hodgkins Lymphoma, continuing her singing career even through her chemotherapy treatment.

Because once you choose hope, anything is possible..