These are the most common cancer warning signs

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Cancer: These are the most common tumor warning signs. If the cancer remains unrecognized, it can spread further in the body. Every fourth German dies of cancer. 25 percent of all those who died in 2013 died of cancer, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. With almost 224,000 deaths, cancer was the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Regular screening and knowledge of some warning signs are therefore particularly important.

Men were most likely to die from digestive tract tumors such as gastric or colon cancer (38,987 deaths), followed by lung and bronchial cancers with 30,962 deaths. Among the women, cancers of the digestive organs also led to the highest number of deaths (31,012). In second place followed breast cancer with 17,853 deaths.

More women die from lung cancer

However, more and more women die of lung cancer: over the past 30 years, the number of deaths among women increased from 5491 in 1983 to 15,370 last. That was an increase of 180 percent. A trigger for lung and bronchial cancer is smoking. In men, however, deaths from liver and biliary cancers have increased dramatically over the past three decades (plus 152 percent).

Cancer patients get older

Meanwhile, the average age at death of cancer patients has been rising for years: in 2013, the mortality age was 73.4 years - the highest ever measured. Cancer is increasingly a disease that occurs only at an advanced age. The proportion of cancer patients who were 85 years or older was 17 percent in 2013. Thirty years earlier, this share was just over eight percent.

Bad habits increase the risk

In Germany, around 500,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. 51 percent of all men and 43 percent of women in this country have to expect in the course of their life to contract a malignant tumor. The number of cancer cases worldwide is also increasing. The reasons for this are complex: In addition to genetic influences, individual health behavior, environmental factors as well as living and working conditions play a role. Smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet can also promote tumors.

Not every cancer expresses itself with symptoms. For example, the treacherous tumor on the pancreas usually remains unrecognized for a long time. However, those who regularly carry out check-ups have a good chance of being diagnosed with cancer at an early stage. Thus, for example, colon cancer can be detected by a colonoscopy at an earliest stage. Skin cancer screening and cancer screening at the gynecologist should also be taken seriously.

For bleeding and knots to the doctor

One of the most common cancer warning signs is bleeding from the anus or rectum area as well as blood in the urine. These signs should be quickly clarified by a doctor. Behind it could be intestinal or bladder cancer stuck. Gastric cancer, however, often indicates pain in the upper abdomen. Blood in coughing out is a warning sign for lung cancer. Early symptoms may include fatigue, shortness of breath and weight loss, as well as chest pain.

Likewise, knots and indurations should alert. Such in the breast may indicate breast cancer, in the testes they indicate testicular cancer. Permanent complaints when swallowing should also be clarified. Behind them can be a carcinoma stuck to the esophagus. Itchy liver spots or changes in the skin may indicate skin cancer.