Experts believe that fatigue may be a telltale sign of cancer in a specific population. Are you at risk?

Doctors should suspect cancer in older men who complain of fatigue, a new study suggests.

It comes after a study found that men in their 80s who complained of fatigue to their GP were twice as likely to develop the disease, compared to those who went to their GP for another reason.

However, this increased risk was not seen in women of the same age, experts found.

The findings were based on data from more than 300,000 patients who went to their GP about fatigue, compared with almost 425,000 who sought help for a non-fatigue problem between 2007 and 2017 and acted as a control group.

Researchers, including experts from University College London, found that men over the age of 80 who complain of fatigue have a 7 percent chance of developing cancer.

This compares to just a 3 percent chance of men of the same age visiting their GP for another problem.

The authors, who published their findings in the British Journal of General Practicenoted that current guidelines do not recommend that GPs consider cancer as a potential risk factor in men of this age who complain of fatigue.

“Age-specific findings support recommendations to prioritize cancer screening in older men with fatigue, but not in women,” they wrote.

The authors suggested that the increased risk of cancer in older men, but not women, may be explained by men not being more likely to seek help for possible cancer symptoms than their female counterparts who are more direct in seeking help.

However, they said further research was needed to replicate their findings in both non-UK patients post-Covid to see if patterns had changed.

It has long been known that the risk of cancer is closely linked to age, because the damage to cells that the disease can cause accumulates over time.

According to data from Cancer Research UK, Britons aged 85 to 89 are most likely to develop cancer.

Fatigue is considered one of the classic signs of cancer, but it can also be due to a range of other conditions.

Cancer can cause fatigue in several ways, some of which are specific to certain types of cancer.

The most obvious way is the cancer itself, where the growing tumor deprives the body of calories and nutrients to fuel its own growth, robbing a person of energy.

Certain cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer, alter the body’s production of hormones, which can lead to fatigue.

Cancer can also cause the body to release substances that cause cytokines in an attempt to boost the immune system, but which can cause fatigue as a side effect.

Certain cancers themselves also release toxic chemicals that interfere with the way the body processes substances that help our muscles work, which can make people feel tired.

Finally, some cancers, such as those in the lungs and some stomach cancers, can lead to shortness of breath or fluid retention respectively, which can also cause people to feel physically tired as a result of these problems.

People who feel constantly tired are urged to contact their GP for advice.

Although it is unlikely that the disease is due to cancer, the earlier the disease is detected, the easier it is to treat. So it is important to have the disease checked.

Furthermore, this means that even if it is not cancer, other possible causes such as stress, depression or a hormonal problem can be investigated.