The 10 deadliest cancers revealed – and all the signs you need to watch out for

ONE in two of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives.

But some cancers are more deadly than others, which is why it's vital to know the signs and catch it early - when you have the best chance of surviving it.

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It being Movember, we've been hearing loads recently about testicular and prostate cancer, which is still one of the biggest killers of men in the UK - in the same way that breast cancer is for women.

But there are other less common cancers which punch way above their weight in terms of killing their victims.

Most of them are more deadly for men (at least, of the cancers that both genders can develop), although pancreatic cancer is a pretty close call.

THE 10 MOST DEADLY CANCERS IN THE UK...

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1. Lung cancer

Lung cancer accounts for nearly 20,000 male deaths a year, and around 16,000 female ones, making it the most deadly cancer by a long way.

There are different types of lung cancer but the two main types are non-small cell lung cancer (the most common kind) and small cell lung cancer (which tends to spread more quickly and is often at an advanced stage when it's diagnosed).

While anyone can develop lung cancer, it's more common in people aged over 60 and 90 per cent of cases are caused by smoking.

If you quit, your risk decreases over time. After ten years, your risk of lung cancer falls to half of that of a smoker.

Non-smokers are more likely to develop adenocarcinoma (a tumour which starts in the mucous glands inside the lungs).

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Often there are no signs until a tumour becomes quite large.

But common symptoms that can develop include:

• a cough
• feeling out of breath
• chest pain
• feeling tired
• appetite loss
• weight loss
• a hoarse voice
• blood in your mucus or phlegm

If you do have these signs, it doesn't necessarily mean you definitely have lung cancer but it's definitely worth getting them checked by your GP.

If you have a tumour which has spread outside of your lungs, the first symptoms might include:

• back pain
• bone pain or fracture
• nerve or brain damage – this might affect walking, talking, behaviour or memory
• confusion
• swallowing difficulties
• jaundice – when your skin or eyes become yellow

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2. Bowel cancer

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Bowel is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with almost 42,000 people being diagnosed a year in the UK.

Nearly everyone survives it if it's caught at its earliest stage but the fact that it's the second most deadly disease suggest that loads of people aren't diagnosed in time.

The Sun's No Time 2 Lose campaign called for the Government to lower the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50 and they listened.

In August the revealed they will start screening from 50 but due to NHS staff shortages, that change is set to be delayed - putting lives at risk.

So we need to be super vigilant about any changes in our toilet habits and go to the doctor as soon as you notice any changes.

There's also been a rise in the number of younger people developing bowel cancer in recent years, for whom no routine screening is available.

It's understandable to be embarrassed about talking about poo but doing so could save your life. Remember, your GP has heard it all before!

Symptoms include:

• bleeding from your bottom
• blood in your poo
• persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
• unexplained weight loss
• extreme tiredness
• pain or lump in tummy

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3. Prostate cancer and breast cancer

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Both cancers kill the same amount of men and women.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point, and the same number of women will develop breast cancer (as well as one out of every 870 men).

We still don't really know why some people get breast cancer and others don't; only about 5 per cent of people diagnosed with it have one of the known breast cancer genes.

The main risks are being a woman, getting older and having a family history of the disease but other factors can include being overweight, hormones, excessive boozing and smoking.

Men are more likely to get prostate cancer with age and family history. Black men are also at greater risk.

Symptoms of prostate cancer:

Most men don't have any signs in the early stages of prostate cancer, but as soon as you do notice a change in the way you pee, go to your GP.

Possible changes can include:

• difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
• a weak flow when you urinate
• a feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied properly
• dribbling urine after you finish urinating
• needing to urinate more often, especially at night
• a sudden urge to urinate – you may sometimes leak before you get to the toilet

In its advanced stage, symptoms include:

• back pain, hip pain or pelvic pain
• problems getting or keeping an erection
• blood in the urine or semen
• unexplained weight loss

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Symptoms of breast cancer:

• a change in size or shape
• a lump or area that feels thicker than the rest of the breast
• a change in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling (like the skin of an orange)
• redness or rash on the skin and/or around the nipple
• your nipple has become pulled in or looks different, for example, changed its position or shape
• liquid that comes from the nipple without squeezing
• pain in your breast or your armpit that’s there all or almost all of the time
• a swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone

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4. Cancer of Unknown Primary

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This is when cancer spread has been found in your body but doctors can't find where it started.

It's not a single disease and because of that, we don't really know what causes it.

It's hard to say what the symptoms are and there are no stages because CUP happens once cancer has already spread.

And because of that, the prognosis is usually pretty dire. Only around 20 per cent of people survive for one year or more after getting a diagnosis.

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5. Pancreatic cancer

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Your pancreas helps with digestion. It produces juices full of enzymes which help to break down food, and it also makes hormones like insulin, which control blood sugar levels.

The vast majority of pancreatic cancer cases start in the cells which make the enzymes, but a less common type start in the cells which make the hormones.

Risk factors include age, smoking, being overweight, having a family history of the disease, pancreatitis and diabetes.

There's also evidence to suggest that boozing, eating red and processed meat, having gallstones increase your changes.

People with blood groups A, AB and B may at a slightly higher risk, while blood group O might be less so.

Like many of these diseases, pancreatic cancer often doesn't cause early signs - it's only as the cancer grows that it starts causing symptoms.

The signs of the cancer can also be caused by things like IBS, pancreatitis, gallstones or hepatitis - so that makes it doubly confusing.

Common signs include:

• tummy and back pain
• unexplained weight loss
• indigestion

Other symptoms:

• loss of appetite
• changes to bowel habits (constipation, diarrhoea or steatorrhoea - pale, floating, smelly poo)
• jaundice
• recently diagnosed diabetes
• problems digesting food
• feeling and being sick
• difficulty swallowing

If you have jaundice, go to see your GP ASAP. If you have any of the other symptoms, seek medical advice after four weeks.

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6. Oesophagus cancer

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This is a type of cancer which affects the gullet - the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach.

It mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s and is more common in men than women. In fact, it kills roughly double the number of men than it does women.

While the exact cause is still unknown, we do know that certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive drinking, being overweight and having an unhealthy diet low in fruit and veg can increase your risk. Having persistent acid reflux is also a factor.

The most common symptoms of oesophageal cancer include:

• difficulty swallowing – feeling that your food is sticking in your throat or chest
• weight loss
• food coming back up before reaching the stomach (regurgitation) or being sick (vomiting)
• pain when swallowing
• indigestion or heartburn that doesn’t go away
• a cough
• a hoarse voice – caused by pressure on the nerve that supplies the voice box
• dull pain or discomfort behind the breastbone or in the back

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7. Liver cancer

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There are two kinds of liver cancer - primary and secondary. You're more likely to develop secondary liver cancer if you're already living with bowel, pancreas, stomach, liver or breast cancer.

Primary liver cancer is often caused by cirrhosis of the liver (often as a result of hepatitis B and C, excessive boozing, and non-alcohol related fatty liver disease).

Often there are no symptoms in the early stages but signs can include:

• fatigue (tiredness) and weakness
• a general feeling of poor health
• loss of appetite
• feeling sick (nausea) and vomiting
• loss of weight
• pain or discomfort over the liver area (place your right hand over the lower right-hand side of your ribs and it will just about cover the area of your liver)
• itchy skin
• fine blood vessels visible on the skin in a radial pattern resembling the legs of a spider (known as spider naevi)
• enlarged and tender liver (you may feel tender below your right ribs)
• dark urine/grey pale stools (faeces)
• loss of sex drive (libido)

And if you have any of the following, then seek medical advice ASAP:

• skin and eyes turning yellow (jaundice) – often the first and sometimes the only sign of liver disease
• swelling of the abdomen, which can be due to the growing cancer itself or a build-up of fluid within the abdomen (ascites)
• fever with high temperatures and shivers
• vomiting blood
• dark black tarry stools (faeces)

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8. Bladder cancer

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Around 10,300 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year in the UK, with it being much more common in older people.

Although it's more common in men (possibly because they're more likely to have encountered cancer-promoting chemicals at work), things like smoking, diet, alcohol, early menopause (before the age of 45) and being overweight are all thought to be risk factors.

Some research has suggested that hairdressers are more at risk because of the chemicals found in some hair dyes but many of these have been banned in recent years, and people can reduce their chances by using non-touch hairdressing techniques.

Having kids actually lowers your risk of getting bladder cancer than women who haven't given birth.

80 per cent of people living with bladder cancer have some blood in their pee. It can come and go but if you ever see blood in your urine, you've got to make an appointment to see your GP ASAP.

Signs can include:

• blood in pee
• passing urine very often (frequency)
• passing urine very suddenly (urgency)
• pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
• weight loss
• pain in your back, lower tummy or bones
• feeling tired and unwell

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9. Brain cancer

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There are over 150 different kinds of brain tumours out there, and those that grow fast are known as high grade 3 or 4 brain cancer.

Grades 1 and 2 tend to refer to non-cancerous tumours which grow more slowly.

The cause of brain cancer is unknown but your genetic makeup and exposure to radiation (e.g. having radiotherapy as a small child) are risk factors.

The most common type of brain cancer in adults is glioblastoma.

Symptoms in adults:

• headaches
• changes in vision
• seizures
• nausea
• drowsiness
• disruption in normal brain function

Symptoms in kids:

• Persistent vomiting/feelings of nausea (over a two week period)
• Recurring headache (over a four week period, particularly on waking)
• Abnormal eye movements
• Fits or seizures
• Behaviour change
• Abnormal balance/walking/coordination
• Blurred/double vision
• Abnormal head position (such as a head tilt)
• Delayed or arrested puberty (puberty that doesn't start or starts, but doesn't progress as expected)

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10. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

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This is a cancer which starts in the white blood cells and attacks the lymphatic system (part of your immune system).

More than 13,000 people are diagnosed with it a year and it can occur at any age although a third of cases are diagnosed in people over 75.

Swollen glands in your neck, armpit and groin then to be the main signs but many of us get swollen glands when we're fighting off an infection. If you've had swollen glands for over six weeks, that's when you should get yourself to a GP.

If you've had glandular fever, you're slightly more at risk, or if you take immunosuppressant medication.

Some people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma these symptoms:

• painless swelling in the neck, armpit or groin
• night sweats
• unintentional weight loss
• a high temperature (fever)
• feelings of breathlessness
• persistent itching of the skin all over the body

Other symptoms depend on where in the body the enlarged lymph glands are (for example, swollen tonsils, a lump in the tummy, or skin rashes).

Some people will also experience:

• persistent tiredness or fatigue
• an increased risk of infections
• excessive bleeding, such as nosebleeds, heavy periods and spots of blood under the skin

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And after that kidney, stomach and ovary cancers are the next most deadly.

While cancer is obviously pretty scary, the takeaway from this should be that you can reduce your risk of developing many of these by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Smoking and drinking excessively are risk factors in the majority of these cancers, as is being overweight - and they're all things you can do something about.

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