Providers

Providers

Not all life-threatening cancers can be detected by a screening.

Encourage patients to stay alert to symptoms of cancers for which screening is not routinely available. These quick-reference sections cover bladder, kidney and renal pelvis, pancreatic, uterine, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Provider discussing cancer symptoms with a patient.

Bladder Cancer

Patients are at higher risk if they:

  • Have a family history of bladder cancer
  • Have certain gene mutations
  • Have been overexposed to workplace chemicals used in paint, dye, metal, or petroleum processing
  • Take some kinds of chemotherapy drugs
  • Drink well water contaminated with arsenic
  • Take the Chinese herb Aristolochia fangchi
  • Have chronic urinary tract infections

Patients can reduce their risk by:

  • Do not smoke
  • Avoid environmental toxins

Symptoms can include:

  • Blood in the urine
  • Frequent urination
  • Pain while urinating
  • Back pain
  • Pelvic pain

Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer

Patients are at higher risk if they:

  • Are obese
  • Have taken certain pain medicines for a long time
  • Have high blood pressure
  • Have genetic conditions including von Hippel-Lindau syndrome or hereditary papillary renal cancer
  • Have been exposed to trichloroethylene

Patients can reduce their risk by:

  • Do not smoke
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Eat healthy foods
  • Exercise
  • Use hazardous chemicals carefully

Symptoms can include:

  • A lump or mass in the kidney area or abdomen
  • Blood in the urine
  • Lower-back or side pain that does not go away
  • Feeling tired often
  • Recurring fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • A blocked bowel
  • A general feeling of poor health

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Patients are at higher risk if they:

  • Are older
  • Are Caucasian
  • Are a woman
  • Have HIV
  • Have Epstein-Barr virus
  • Have been exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation
  • Have been exposed to herbicides or pesticides

Symptoms can include:

  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Fever
  • Night sweats
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss

Pancreatic Cancer

Patients are at higher risk if they:

  • Smoke
  • Are a man
  • Are African American
  • Are 65 years of age or older
  • Have diabetes
  • Have chronic pancreatitis
  • Have a family history of pancreatic cancer

Patients can reduce their risk by:

  • Do not smoke
  • Maintain a healthy weight

Symptoms can include:

  • Jaundice and related symptoms
  • Belly or back pain
  • Weight loss and poor appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Gallbladder or liver enlargement
  • Blood clots
  • Fatty tissue abnormalities
  • Diabetes

Uterine Cancer

Patients are at higher risk if they:

  • Are 50 years of age or older
  • Are obese
  • Take estrogen without progesterone for hormone-replacement therapy
  • Have had trouble getting pregnant or fewer than five periods in a year before menopause
  • Take tamoxifen
  • Have close family members who have had uterine, colon, or ovarian cancer

Patients can reduce their risk by:

  • Use birth control pills when appropriate
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Be physically active
  • Take progesterone if estrogen is prescribed
  • Ask how often screening or follow-up is needed

Symptoms can include:

  • Vaginal discharge or bleeding that is not normal
  • Pain or pressure in the pelvis

Screenings:

  • Endometrial biopsy
  • Transvaginal ultrasound

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