If you’ve put off cancer screening during the pandemic, what might be of concern? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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As Covid has ground on, many people avoided routine medical care, including cancer screenings. Needa Zaidi, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins, says that’s understandable, but if you notice anything unusual going on, it may be time to seek care.

Zaidi: The first thing as doctors that we worry about is unintentional weight loss. That means weight loss when you’ve been doing your normal routine, you’ve been living your life normally, eating normally, and you’re still losing weight. How much weight? About ten pounds is when we start to get concerned, and this is sudden unexpected weight loss, this is not weight loss in the setting of a juicing diet or going to Weight Watchers, this is really just unexpected weight loss. That is a reason to go get checked out.  :31

Zaidi notes other things to pay attention to are changes in bowel or bladder habits, sores that don’t heal, and any bleeding that is unexplained. She also urges a return to routine cancer screenings. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.