The key facts

  • The doctor named five non-obvious signals: fatigue, hoarseness, weight loss, gastrointestinal changes, shortness of breath during exertion
  • According to the specialist, one or two signs on their own do not indicate an oncological disease
  • Health is suggested to be assessed systematically: sleep, nutrition, chronic illnesses, medications, stress, age, family history

Symptoms that are easy to blame on the season

Fatigue, drowsiness and a hoarse voice are sometimes linked not to a change of season or a cold, but may be signs of an oncological disease, said Gazeta.Ru, restorative medicine physicianand neurologist Alexey Mamatov, founder of the Academy of Systemic Health. According to him, persistent or unexplained changes should be considered as a whole in order to notice warning signs in time. «There is no need to turn every unexpected symptom into a reason for panic, but living by the principle of “it will go away on its own” is also wrong,» he noted.

Five signals

The first signal is constant fatigue, drowsiness and exhaustion even after rest: ordinary seasonal tiredness has understandable causes and usually goes away after sleep and recovery. The second is hoarseness or a change in voice, especially if there are no signs of an acute respiratory infection or the cold has already ended. The third is excessive weight loss, even with a healthier diet. The fourth is a sharp loss of appetite or unusual changes in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The fifth is difficulty with usual physical activity: climbing stairs becomes harder, sudden shortness of breath or weakness appears, especially if it started abruptly and has been going on for some time.

One sign is not a diagnosis

Mamatov emphasized that having one or two of the listed signs does not in itself mean cancer: such symptoms also occur in many other conditions. He suggested assessing health systematically — taking into account sleep, nutrition, physical activity, chronic illnesses, medications taken, stress, age and family history. «If a new or persistent symptom appears that cannot be explained, then it is worth seeing a doctor,» the specialist concluded. The practical meaning of his recommendation is that the reason to visit a doctor should be not an individual symptom, but a new or persistent sign that cannot be explained by familiar causes. The same Gazeta.Ru publication mentions an earlier statement by an oncologist about a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer, but its content is not disclosed in the article.