Winter symptoms mask early cancer signs in men

Winter arrives with shorter days, colder mornings, and a natural drop in energy. Many men start to feel small physical changes during this season, such as slower digestion, disrupted bowel habits, or a weaker urine stream. These winter symptoms should not be neglected, as some of them are on the checklist of potential cancer symptoms.

Prostate and colorectal cancers grow quietly, often producing vague or inconsistent symptoms that could be similar to those of winter symptoms. Advanced genetic testing is reshaping precision oncology, not only for early screening but also for precision treatment. High-throughput sequencing technology-based cancer discovery testing is now helping doctors understand the personal genetic drivers of disease and provide guidance for the most effective treatment solutions, leading to better outcomes.

Winter Masks Early Signs

Winter changes the way people interpret their bodies. Colder months reduce physical activity, alter digestion, and increase the likelihood that people will misread early warning signs of disease.

A 2022 CDC health behavior report showed that nearly 1 in 8 adults delayed or skipped medical care because they felt “too busy,” a pattern that often peaks near the end of the year. Winter creates the perfect conditions for that delay. Shorter daylight hours affect circadian rhythms, leading people to feel more tired, eat heavier meals, and move less. These shifts easily blur the line between what feels seasonal and what signals an underlying problem.

Gastroenterologists commonly report that constipation becomes more frequent in winter because people drink less water, move less, and eat fewer fiber-rich foods, which are behavioral changes that directly slow digestion. These same changes also appear in the earliest stages of colorectal cancer. Urologists see a similar trend that cold weather increases urinary frequency, which makes early prostate symptoms, such as nighttime bathroom trips, slower flow, and pelvic discomfort, which often seem like normal winter responses.

Delayed Care Lowers Survival

Doctors consistently report that men show up later in the season with symptoms they have tracked for months. Yet cancer outcomes change dramatically depending on how early a diagnosis happens.

The Alliance reports similar numbers for 5-year survival: localized colorectal cancer has about a 91% survival rate, while late-stage disease falls to around 15%. As Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, explains, “Colorectal cancer is highly preventable, yet too many Americans delay or avoid screening due to fear, misinformation, or competing priorities”.

A 2025 meta-analysis titled “Treatment delay significantly increases mortality in colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis” found that for colorectal cancer (CRC), every 4-week delay in initiating treatment was associated with significantly higher overall mortality.

Prostate cancer follows the same pattern. A European study of more than 160,000 men across seven countries found that men who skipped screening had about a 45% higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to those who attended screening. Men who were offered screening but never went also faced a significantly higher risk.

Genomics Guide Precision Oncology

Regular screening breaks the cycle of delay. Annual prostate checks and routine colorectal screening, such as stool DNA tests every three to five years, create a safety net that catches changes early. When results show something abnormal, the next step matters as much as the first.

This is where genomic tools such as the SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Testing work alongside traditional screening. SENTIS™ does not replace initial tests; it can strengthen them through detecting not only common gene hotspots but also rare and novel mutations.

When a man sees irregular findings from screening, persistent symptoms, elevated markers, or abnormal imaging, SENTIS™ offers a deeper look from a genetic perspective. The test examines hundreds of cancer-related genes and uncovers mutations that may explain why something looks abnormal. It also provides practical next steps by offering therapy guidance for targeted treatments, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, along with hereditary tumor risk assessment to provide a full view of potential options. This level of insight enables doctors to understand what is driving the abnormality, guiding them in making precise decisions.

Winter encourages people to slow down. It also offers a moment to pay attention. Early screening paired with genomic profiling turns quiet symptoms into clear information. One check-up, followed by the right follow-up test, can change the course of a year—and possibly a life.

About SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Testing

SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Testing provides a comprehensive and accurate NGS-based testing solution for the identification of actionable somatic and germline mutations and the discovery of novel variants with important functions in cancer. The panel offers 816 cancer-related genes and interrogates the most common types of alterations, including SNVs, indels, CNVs and fusions in solid tumors, which provides comprehensive medication guidance on targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy for patients with solid tumors, as well as hereditary tumor risk assessment.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. Our services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.