11/16/2004 Amy Dockser Marcus The Wall Street Journal Efforts emerge to recognize cancer symptoms earlier All too often, the pain of a cancer diagnosis is compounded by the realization that the disease could have been caught sooner if only the early symptoms had been recognized. Indeed, for all the enormous strides in cancer-screening technologies, some very basic red flags -- back pain, constipation, fatigue, even a hoarse voice -- are often overlooked because they resemble the symptoms of benign diseases. Patients are unlikely to call a doctor right away, and when they do, doctors may spend months looking for other causes before suspecting cancer. But there is a growing recognition in the cancer community that identifying physical symptoms is vital. Existing screens still miss many tumors, and no effective screens even exist for some particularly lethal cancers, such as pancreatic and ovarian. As a result, a concerted effort is under way to educate patients, doctors and medical students to identify early symptoms of cancer. Diagnostic tools are also in the works that can help physicians put the pieces together and see when a particular constellation of symptoms may indicate cancer. A challenge in this, of course, is how to encourage patients and doctors to recognize symptoms without creating panic over every itch and twinge. Cramping and fatigue can be signs of colon cancer, but they could also signify less threatening digestive problems. Coughing and chest pain are early symptoms of lung cancer, but also of a bad cold. Pain in [...]