Before you consider this persistent cough as another part of the flu season, ask your doctor for a second look. According to a new study by Cancer Research UK, more than half of adults were afraid of ringing the alarm, but only two percent thought that cancer could be a possible cause.
The researchers at cancer research institute sent questionnaires to nearly 5,000 UK residents registered with general practitioners, that is, men and women who have and consult a primary care physician. Just under 1,800 people completed the survey and five of them were eliminated because they said they had already been diagnosed with cancer.
Participants in the cancer research institute were asked if, over the last three months, they had presented a host of different symptoms (some of which could be possible signs of cancer) ranging from persistent cough to unexplained weight loss to loss of energy. If they had experienced any of these symptoms, they were asked to indicate what they thought was the cause and if it was serious.
“We do not know why, but there seems to be a mismatch between what people know in practice and whether they apply this knowledge to themselves,” said co-author of the study, Katrina Whitaker, Ph.D., a senior researcher at the cancer research institute university. College London. “So, while many of these signs and symptoms are known, very few people mention cancer as a possible cause, whereas they are the ones who feel the symptom.”
Here we examine the 10 symptoms that researchers must consider as warning signs. The researchers say that even if they are nothing, it’s about recognizing that they could also be cancer and asking your doctor to check your symptoms.