Is THIS the First Sign of Cancer?
There are all kinds of tests to detect cancer early.
Some I’m a fan of—like colonoscopies.
Others I’m not—like mammograms.
But at best, tests like these only alert you to cancer once it’s already there.
Now, there’s a surprising condition that could be one of the EARLIEST warning signs of cancer BEFORE it’s even developed.
Have you ever experienced the flu?
What about pneumonia?
Or hepatitis?
Infections like these are bad enough on their own. But once you’ve recovered, you probably think you’re out of the woods.
That might not be the case.
It turns out that infections like these and others are associated with a greater risk of developing cancer.
In a study that included over 50,000 people, researchers found that the people who had cancer had a higher rate of infections in the six years prior to their diagnosis.
In the first year, those who developed cancer had a 16 percent higher risk of infection.
By year six—the year before the cancer diagnosis—those who developed cancer had a 55 percent greater risk of infection.
This connection shows that there’s likely been a breech—or a weakening—in a person’s immune system that shows up as an increased susceptibility to infection.
But it also increases your susceptibility to cancer.
In the year prior to a cancer diagnosis, the patients had…
- 18 percent higher rate of influenza
- 46 percent higher rate of gastroenteritis
- 136 percent higher rate of pneumonia
- 232 percent higher rate of hepatitis
Certain types of infection were also associated with certain types of cancer.
For example, people who developed the flu just before diagnosis were more likely to develop male germ cell cancers.
Pneumonia was highest in those who developed stomach cancer.
And hepatitis was highest in those who developed blood, bone, and bone marrow cancers.
Does this mean that developing an infection means you’re going to get cancer?
No.
However, these specific infections—influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis, and gastroenteritis—do seem to be associated with increased cancer risk.
If you find yourself experiencing any of these infections—especially on any kind of regular basis—it should serve as a potential warning sign of cancer.
You can share this information with your doctor, and be sure to stay ahead of cancer by getting certain yearly exams.
