Experiencing odd tingling in the back or suffering from bouts of severe lower back pain from time to time is very common, especially as we age. The UK's National Health Service warns that back pain may be a sign of cancer and should be monitored in certain cases. The health authority states, "Talk to a doctor if you have pain anywhere in your abdomen or back, and you are not sure why. This includes persistent mild pain or sharp pain that comes and goes."
Dr. Marlene Norton, an oncologist and hematologist at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in the United States, explains that back pain is not a common symptom seen before diagnosing someone with cancer. However, patients often ignore back pain, assuming it is the same pain they have always had. She adds, "Worsening back pain is a concern that should alert the specialist."
Several types of cancer can cause back pain, including:
- **Uterine Cancer:** The NHS states that "pain in the lower back or between the hip bones (pelvis)" can be one of the symptoms of cancer.
- **Kidney Cancer:** The health authority indicates that pain in the back below the ribs, which "does not go away," may indicate kidney cancer.
- **Prostate Cancer:** Back pain is a sign of advanced prostate cancer, meaning the disease has spread to the back.
- **Testicular Cancer:** The NHS notes that pain or ache in the back or lower abdomen may indicate testicular cancer.
- **Lung Cancer:** This type of cancer occurs if the disease spreads to the bones, according to Cancer Research UK. Pain typically appears in the lower back.
- **Breast Cancer:** Breast cancer can spread to the bones in the spine, causing pressure on the spinal cord.
- **Spinal Tumors:** These may cause back pain that "spreads" to other parts of the body.
