Top 12 Most Overlooked Early Signs of Cancer in Men

Difficulty urination is when urination requires strong straining, prolonged effort before urine is passed. This makes patients very uncomfortable as they have to spend more time in the bathroom than usual. When urination is difficult, it leads to subsequent annoyances such as incomplete voiding, meaning just having finished urinating but not feeling completely relieved, feeling heaviness in the lower abdomen (pelvic area). Frequent urination due to incomplete voiding often leads to a feeling of urinary retention, needing to go every 15 - 30 minutes. In some severe cases of difficult urination, there may be painful urination: grimacing or furrowing the brow when urinating.

If men continuously experience difficulties related to difficulty urination such as urinating more frequently especially at night, having difficulty urinating or urinating in small amounts, dribbling, or urgent urination, urinating with blood or semen in the urine, or erectile dysfunction, they need to see a doctor immediately. According to experts at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, these are signs of prostate cancer. So when you have these symptoms, see a doctor to investigate the cause immediately, you may be tested for blood (PSA test).

Men often overlook skincare compared to women, making them more susceptible to skin cancer and a higher mortality rate from this condition. According to the American Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF), men who work outdoors are more prone to skin cancer than women because they don't use sunscreen and have thinner hair. Therefore, when noticing unusual moles, increasing in size on the skin, it cannot be ignored. If these moles appear rapidly, are irregular, dark, or have two different colors in the same location, the likelihood of malignancy is high. Although this type of tumor is less common than other skin cancers, its danger level is higher. If you notice many of these malignant tumors appearing for a long time without invasion and are detected early, they are easier to treat.

Skin tends to dry out when the protective barrier is compromised, making moisture loss more severe. Typically, the skin has a thin barrier layer made up of interconnected lipid structures. This barrier layer is often weakened by various factors, however, if you feel tired, constipated, and gaining weight along with dry skin, your thyroid may be weakening, or hypothyroidism. If you frequently experience signs such as embarrassment, blushing, or flushing, it may be the first signs of rosacea. Although the exact mechanism is not yet understood by experts, cold weather, alcohol consumption, spicy food, or stress can exacerbate symptoms. In addition to limiting stimulating factors, using IPL - Intense Pulse Light technology - using light to treat dermatological conditions is also a method recommended by experts.

Common male testicular issues include varicocele, orchitis, testicular torsion... All testicular conditions can lead to complications, affecting male reproductive health, especially causing infertility if not treated promptly. The testicle is a part of the male reproductive system, oval-shaped, responsible for producing sperm to maintain the gene pool and secreting male sex hormones into the bloodstream. Common testicular diseases significantly impact male fertility.

Men should pay more attention to testicular health, if they notice changes in size (one or both sides), such as swelling, heaviness, or feeling a lump, it's likely a sign of illness. According to Dr. Herbert Lepor, head of the urology department at Langone Medical Center at New York University, unlike slow-growing prostate cancer, testicular cancer appears overnight. Therefore, if you notice anything unusual in your testicles, don't ignore it, see a doctor immediately. This disease is most common in young and middle-aged groups.

Chronic cough can be simply understood as a prolonged cough that has not been cured. Coughing can occur all day or worsen at night, leading to significant disruptions to the patient's sleep quality. In fact, there have been cases where patients experience nausea, dizziness, or even severe rib pain due to chronic coughing. This condition may be accompanied by other symptoms that also cause considerable inconvenience to the patient's life. Runny nose, sore throat, dizziness, hoarseness, heartburn, or acid reflux... are common accompanying symptoms when patients have chronic coughing. A few patients may even cough up blood due to this chronic condition.

When you have a cold or allergies, you often cough, however, if you have a cough lasting over 3 weeks and no other symptoms, this could be an early sign of lung cancer. It could also lead to symptoms similar to bronchitis if you have leukemia. Therefore, if you notice that your cough is different from before and accompanied by blood, you should not ignore it, you need to see a doctor immediately. Typically, people with lung cancer often have prolonged chest pain that radiates to the shoulders or down the arms.

Many people experience lip sores, ulcers, or canker sores, but if they heal on their own, there's no need to worry or visit the dentist. However, if the wound doesn't heal and spreads around, with white or red spots appearing on the gums or tongue, swelling or numbness in the jaw, it could be a high sign of oral cancer. When these signs appear, it's important to seek timely intervention.

When mouth mucous membrane inflammation or ulcers occur, the cause may be known or unknown, with symptoms such as swelling, redness, pain, and uncomfortable sores, especially while chewing, swallowing, or eating; there may be ulcers under the tongue or mucous membrane; milder ulcers may appear on the tongue and oral mucosa, with acute inflammation often causing redness, severe pain, high fever, and swollen lymph nodes. In particular, acute mouth mucous membrane ulcers often recur, causing pain and reducing the patient's quality of life.

If you experience persistent abdominal pain or nausea, with increasing frequency each day, it could indicate digestive issues. While digestive problems rarely signify cancer, it's still essential to get checked. It might signal issues like appendicitis, ulcers, esophageal issues, pancreatic, liver, or colorectal cancer. Nausea in men can stem from various causes, depending on individual constitution and health. Hence, if experiencing symptoms of nausea, men need to prioritize their health and seek medical attention promptly.

When stressed or anxious, the body releases a substance called adrenaline into the bloodstream. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and primes the body to react to dangers. Adrenaline is also a cause of nausea in men. In diabetes, the body cannot produce enough insulin and glucose to fuel cells normally. These cells, lacking glucose for energy, start burning fat to create energy, leading to ketosis. This is what causes nausea in diabetic patients...

Blood in stool is a condition where blood is passed in the stool, and the appearance of blood can be: on the toilet paper after wiping, in the toilet after bowel movements, on the surface or mixed with the stool... In some cases, blood in the stool may appear black, resembling coffee grounds rather than the red color of blood. The stool may look like tar due to bleeding in the upper part of the digestive tract. If you have hemorrhoids, you may reduce the risk of blood in stool by drinking plenty of water and consuming high-fiber foods, avoiding spicy foods, beer, and alcohol. Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and breakfast cereals. You also need to prevent constipation.

When passing stool with blood, it's essential to note, it could be hemorrhoids or something harmless due to hard bowel movements that cause anal fissures, but it could also be a sign of colorectal cancer. Men should begin regular check-ups at age 50 and increase the frequency as they get older, especially when suspicious symptoms arise. Therefore, when blood is detected in the stool and there are unusual digestive symptoms, seeking medical attention as soon as possible is crucial.

Difficulty swallowing is a medical term indicating the struggle to swallow, caused by disorders in the esophagus or throat area. Depending on the disease stage and individual constitution, the severity of difficulty swallowing varies. In mild cases, patients may only feel a sharp pain when swallowing food or water, and the sensation of food passing through the esophagus may last longer. When swallowing difficulties become severe, both liquids and solids cannot pass through the esophagus, potentially causing the patient to vomit all ingested food and water.

Some individuals experience difficulty swallowing, prolonged throat pain for weeks, worsening condition accompanied by weight loss, nausea, which could be signs of throat cancer, stomach cancer, or an early sign of lung cancer. When detecting these symptoms, you should undergo a throat examination and X-ray. Remember to fast before the X-ray as you will be given a solution to make your stomach clearly visible on the X-ray screen.

If you're otherwise healthy and suddenly experience persistent fever or infections, it could be a sign of leukemia - a type of blood cancer. This condition triggers the body to produce abnormal white blood cells and weakens the body's anti-inflammatory function. If you experience flu-like symptoms that persist, it's crucial to seek medical attention and treatment immediately. Unexplained fever when body temperature ≥ 38.3°C (101°F) measured rectally, not due to transient illness and self-limiting, rapidly causes death or disorder with obvious local symptoms or abnormalities on routine tests such as chest X-rays, urinalysis, or blood culture.

Infection is the most common cause of FUO. In HIV-infected patients, opportunistic infections need to be sought (e.g., tuberculosis, Mycobacteria bacterial infections, disseminated fungal infections, or cytomegalovirus). Commonly encountered connective tissue disorders include SLE, RA, giant cell arteritis, vasculitis, and adult-onset RA (Still's disease). The most common causes of cancer are lymphoma, leukemia, renal parenchymal cell carcinoma, epithelial cell carcinoma, and metastatic carcinoma. However, the proportion of cancers of unknown cause causing fever has decreased, possibly because they are being detected by ultrasound and CT, which are now widely used in the initial evaluation process. Other important causes include drug reactions, deep vein thrombosis, recurrent pulmonary embolism, sarcoidosis, enteritis, and febrile seizures.

In each of us, there are times of fatigue, yet if constant and prolonged fatigue persists for more than a month accompanied by shortness of breath, wheezing, it's advisable to consult a doctor. Early signs of leukemia and lymphoma - culprits of persistent fatigue, cannot be ruled out. Though not necessarily cancerous, prompt examination is essential to enhance quality of life and improve productivity. Fatigue is inevitable when studying or working excessively. However, if continuous fatigue persists along with other symptoms like shortness of breath, pain, sudden weight loss... seeking medical attention is crucial for a health check as it could be a warning sign of serious illnesses.

When the body lacks blood, nutrient and oxygen exchange to depleted cells diminishes. Hence, one of the manifestations of anemia is fatigue, lethargy, and low energy. Insufficient blood to the brain often leads to frequent headaches, visual disturbances, dizziness, and even fainting. Moreover, anemic individuals may exhibit characteristic signs such as pale skin, pallor... During, before, and after experiencing a headache, some people often feel fatigued. Headache sufferers typically feel lethargic, irritable, and may even fall into prolonged depressive states. Fatigue alongside severe headaches diminishes the quality of life for those affected.