Cancer Symptoms

Despite popular belief, many cancers don't display obvious symptoms or cause pain until well advanced.  Because early-stage cancer symptoms tend to be subtle, they can be mistaken for signs of other, less-threatening disease.

Some of the warning signs for cancer include:

• A thickening of the breast or other body tissue
• A development of a lump in the breast or other body part
• Unusual bleeding or discharge
• Difficulty upon swallowing
• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
• Obvious changes in a wart or mole
• A nagging cough or hoarseness
• A wound that won’t heal
• Indigestion
• Unintentional weight loss
• Persistent blood in the stool or urine

Some of these symptoms are specific to certain types of cancer – for example, trouble with urination for prostate cancer or flu-like symptoms for acute leukemia. Don't be afraid to discuss any unusual symptoms with your primary care physician – and know that diagnostic tests are available for most common cancers -- and an early diagnosis greatly improves the odds of surviving cancer.