Night Sweats and Cancer: When to Consult a Doctor

Doctors

have warned against an overlooked sign of the deadly cancer that may become evident on your pillowcases and even bedding in the morning. Excessive nocturnal sweating, leaving noticeable stains, could signal the presence of cancer. Usually, the signs and symptoms of cancer are different, depending on where it develops within your body. A chronic, bloody cough may suggest lung cancer, or blood in the poop could mean colon cancer. However, a few warning signs can be ambiguous and dismissed or wrongly attributed - including night sweats.

Why do night sweats happen?

While it may be normal to sweat to a degree while sleeping, as it can be affected by elements such as bedroom temperature and if you share your bed with a partner, however, if you consistently awaken to discover yourself, your pillow, or your sheets drenched in perspiration, you must consult a doctor. “Most people sweat during the night. If you regularly wake up with soaking wet sheets, you should get it checked by a GP. Night sweats are when you sweat so much that your night clothes and bedding are soaking wet, even though where you're sleeping is cool,” the National Health Service has mentioned on its website. Night sweats in cancer occur because your body may be trying to fight the disease, often raising its internal temperature, or due to hormonal changes triggered by tumours or treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy. These drenching sweats are often called "B symptoms" in lymphomas and can stem from infection or the body’s reaction to cancer cells.Also read: Why 7 in 10 Cancer Cases Go Undetected Until It’s Too Late They are common in lymphomas, leukemia, carcinoid tumours, and germ cell tumours. According to Cancer Research UK, certain types of cancer may cause excessive sweating. These include:

• Kidney cancer
• Germ cell tumours
• Mesothelioma
• Leukemia
• Advanced medullary thyroid cancer
• Carcinoid tumours
• Hodgkin lymphoma
• Bone cancer
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Prostate cancer

More than 30 per cent of patients diagnosed with leukemia endure nocturnal sweating, according to Leukemia Care. “It is certainly not unusual to sweat during the night, especially in the summer when your room or bedding becomes too hot,” the organisation notes.

How to manage night sweats?

According to Healthline, the treatment for night sweats depends on their cause. Night sweats caused by environmental or lifestyle factors should go away on their own once you eliminate their triggers. If infection is the cause, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics. If cancer turns out to be the cause of your night sweats, then make sure to focus on treating it. Cancer treatments vary by type and stage. Common treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Some cancer treatment drugs may also cause night sweats, but as your body starts to adjust to the treatment, the night sweats may subside. If cancer is causing your night sweats, they usually stop after successful cancer treatment. The earlier you seek treatment, the better your chances may be for remission. It’s important not to put off seeing your doctor. For those with lymphoma, the presence of night sweats and other B symptoms is more significant than other symptoms and may suggest a less favourable outlook.