A new report from the American Cancer Society found that lung cancer and colorectal cancer cause the most deaths, unlike any other type, and this trend is likely to continue in the US in 2023.

Overall, the death rate from cancer has fallen by 33% — nearly 3.8 million lives — since 1991, experts report.

But there is a forecast of nearly 2 million new cancer cases and more than 600,000 deaths in the US this year.

Here's what to look for to reduce your risk of developing lung or colorectal cancer.

Symptoms of lung cancer

If you smoke, your chances of getting lung cancer increase.

Common symptoms include the following:

  • persistent cough that gets worse

  • chest pain

  • wheezing or inability to breathe,

  • coughing up blood

  • chronic fatigue

Lung cancer can also lead to recurrent infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia.

You should consult your doctor if you notice these symptoms.

Other signs of lung cancer

Due to the spread of lung cancer, additional symptoms appear:

  • pain in the back or hip bones,

  • neurological symptoms such as dizziness, weakness or numbness,

  • jaundice of the skin or the whites of the eyes,

  • swelling of the lymph nodes.

Lung cancer can lead to several other syndromes that have their own characteristics.

This is Horner's syndrome, which involves tumors in the upper part of the lung and can affect the nerves of the face or eyes: the eyelids droop (ptosis), the pupils shrink (myosma), and there is pain in the forearm

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCA), a group of symptoms caused by obstruction of the superior vena cava (SVCA), which includes tumors of a large blood vessel, may also occur.

This often leads to facial swelling as well as other neurological symptoms.

Colorectal cancer screening

Colorectal cancer may not show up for long, so early screening for adults ages 45 to 75 is very important.

Analyzes are recommended to be done once every five or 10 years, depending on whether stool analyzes were performed in the intervening years.

Ask your doctor when and how often you should be tested.

Symptoms of colorectal cancer

Symptoms of colorectal cancer may include the following:

  • change in bowel habits with diarrhea or constipation,

  • rectal bleeding or blood in the stool,

  • abdominal pain or cramps

  • weight loss

Another common symptom is low red blood cells.

If you experience any of these symptoms, see your doctor.

We would like to add that in Ukraine, specialists of the Ministry of Health provided new data on the incidence of breast cancer in our country.

We will remind you that every woman is obliged to visit a mammologist once a year - to do ultrasound diagnostics or mammography. 

Read also:

  • A popular way of cooking vegetables doubles the risk of esophageal cancer: study results

  • Breakthrough in cancer prevention: blood test detects 14 types of cancer at an early stage

  • Prostate cancer: what symptoms are used to diagnose the disease