Signs and Symptoms

Different cancers have different signs and symptoms. All of the information in this summary has kindly been provided by Cancerbackup from their TIC- Teen info on cancer website. This information is complemented by young people talking about the signs and symptoms that made them and their families realise something was wrong (also see Talking about - Going to the GPs).

Brain Tumours:
There are a few different types and the ones that are more common in young people are astrocytomas and ependymomas (these both start in the supportive tissue of the brain). The most common symptoms are headaches, feeling sick, drowsiness and fits. The symptoms experienced depend on where the tumour is in the brain. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.
 
Several of the young people we interviewed were diagnosed with brain tumours. They talked about the signs and symptoms that prompted them and their families to seek medical attention.

Reported visual problems and was obviously unwell.

Just a few days before collapsing he experienced balance problems, said that the sensation was like 'being drunk'.

Experienced a sudden deterioration of his health and became unconscious.

Looking back at pictures of himself before he was diagnosed he realises that he was holding his head strangely for some months before he felt unwell.

One of the young persons diagnosed later with an ependynoma reported severe back pain. The tumours were located in the spinal cord.

He had severe pain in the base of his spine and a biopsy revealed that he had two small ependynoma tumours.

Hodgkin's disease (lymphoma)
Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of our immune system and is made up of a network of lymph vessels and glands as well as a number of organs. The most common symptoms are painless, swollen glands; the glands most likely to be affected are those in the neck, armpit, groin and chest. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.  A fourteen-year-old boy was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma:

He had a lump on his neck but his other symptoms could have been caused by TB or asthma.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of our immune system and is made up of a network of lymph vessels and glands as well as a number of organs. The most common symptoms are painless, swollen lymph glands. The glands that are most likely to be affected are those in the neck, throat, chest and abdomen. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.

The first symptom he had felt like 'I'd pulled my back'.

He had a lot of back pains and was later diagnosed with Burkitt’s like lymphoma. A type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
We have a few different types of white cell which help us fight infection and disease. ALL is a cancer of one of these white cells, the lymphoid cells. The most common symptoms are feeling tired, bruising and being prone to infection. Some people may also experience pain in their bones. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.
 
We talked to several young people who had or are having treatment for ALL. Here they talked about the symptoms they had.

One young man who trained at a gym everyday got worried that his cough was not getting better and asked his GP to give him a check-up.

Says that he never felt unwell with the leukemia symptoms but felt out of breath and was a bit pale and yellow (jaundiced).

Had a bad cough and pains in his legs so became worried and asked his mother to take him to the GP.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
White cells help us fight infection and disease, and AML is a cancer of one of these white cells, the myeloid cells. The most common symptoms are feeling tired, bruising, being prone to infection and for some pain in their bones. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.

Cancer of the bone
There a number of different types of bone cancer but the ones that young people are most likely to develop are osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. We don't know what causes them but do know that the bones that tend to be affected are the leg and arm bones and the pelvis. The most common symptoms are pain and/or swelling around the bone. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.
 
Two young people who were latter diagnosed with osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma respectively talked about what symptoms prompted them to go to their doctor.

The first symptoms he remembers are a massive cramp on his leg following by walking difficulties.

She had a very bad pain in her shoulder.

Soft tissue sarcomas
Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers of our supportive tissue which includes muscle, cartilage, fat cells and blood vessels. The areas of the body that they usually affect are the legs and arms, the chest, pelvis and the head and neck area. There are lots of different types but the ones that most commonly affect young people are rhabdomyosarcomas, synovial sarcomas and fibrosarcomas. The first symptom is usually a painless lump or swelling. The cause is unknown. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer. 
 
We talked to a few young people who had been diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma.

The first symptom he noticed was a painless lump in his neck.

Testicular cancer 
There are two main types - teratomas and seminomas; teratomas tend to affect younger men. The symptoms include a painless lump or swelling in the testicles. Find out more at TIC- Teen info on cancer.
 
Two young men interviewed for DIPEx’s Testicular Cancer website talked about the signs and symptoms that prompted them to seek medical attention.

Said that he had a swollen testicle and a dull pain in the stomach area.

Said that he found a lump in his testicle but did not experience any pain or discomfort.

Other types of cancer

Occasionally cancer seems to have been discovered just 'by chance'. A young woman who was later diagnosed with a very rare cancer (ganglio neuroblatoma) explained that her cancer was found when she was having her back problems investigated.

Had recurrent back problems after a car accident and her GP sent her for an X ray which revealed something above her left kidney. A subsequent CT scan showed a large calcified mass.

Some cancers have symptoms that are hard to detect. For example, ovarian cancer can look like a stomach problem, irritable bowel syndrome (which is also called IBS) or gallstones.

Was thought to have IBS after she was infected by a parasite in Nepal, but it turned out to be ovarian cancer.

We also interviewed one young woman who was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (skin cancer).

Noticed the sudden appearance of a large mole behind her ear that itched and bled.

For more information on melanoma see TIC - Teen info on Cancer website.

Also see DIPEx websites on Ovarian, Cervical and Testicular cancer for more experiences and information. For other types of cancer please see Cancerbackup website.
 
Tips to others 

• If you have any of these symptoms ask for a check up, even though the chances are against it being cancer. 
• Keep a record of your symptoms (how long you have had them, how bad they are) so you can tell the doctor. 
• Talk to your doctor about further investigations (eg blood tests or X-rays) if you are worried. 
• Tell your doctor what you are worried about.