{"id":1479,"date":"2026-08-13T13:30:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/?p=1479"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:30:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:30:04","slug":"17-cancer-symptoms-you-shouldnt-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/?p=1479","title":{"rendered":"17 Cancer Symptoms You Shouldn\u2019t Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What are the main signs and symptoms of cancer?<\/h2>\n<p>Early detection is one of the best weapons against cancer. Screenings can detect a cancer before symptoms appear. You too can pick up on early warning signs by paying close attention to changes in your body. If you notice something new or different that lasts several weeks \u2013 and several weeks is key \u2013 reach out to your health care provider. Not every symptom that could be cancer is cancer. But here are 17 symptoms that may warrant a call to your doctor:\u2026@@@<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Abnormal periods or pelvic pain<\/li>\n<li>Changes in bathroom habits<\/li>\n<li>Bloating<\/li>\n<li>Breast changes<\/li>\n<li>Chronic coughing<\/li>\n<li>Chronic headache<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty swallowing<\/li>\n<li>Excessive bruising<\/li>\n<li>Frequent fevers or infections<\/li>\n<li>Oral changes<\/li>\n<li>Skin changes<\/li>\n<li>Pain that lasts<\/li>\n<li>Persistent fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Postmenopausal bleeding<\/li>\n<li>Stomach pain or nausea<\/li>\n<li>Unexplained weight loss<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>An explanation of the 17 signs and symptoms of cancer<\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Abnormal periods or pelvic pain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most women occasionally have irregular period or cramps. But ongoing pain or changes in your cycle can be a sign of\u00a0cervical cancer,\u00a0endometrial cancer\u00a0or\u00a0ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Changes in bathroom habits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Major changes in bodily functions can indicate\u00a0colon cancer,\u00a0prostate cancer\u00a0or\u00a0bladder cancer, among other cancers. Important signs to be aware of include persistent constipation or diarrhea; black or red blood in your stool; black, tarry stools; more frequent urination; and blood in your urine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Bloating<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We all feel bloated now and then. But bloating for more than two weeks can be a sign of\u00a0ovarian cancer, as well as various gastrointestinal cancers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Breast changes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These include a new lump, dimpling, discoloring, changes around the nipple or unusual discharge. Although\u00a0breast cancer\u00a0mostly occurs in women, men can develop it too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Chronic coughing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A cough that persists for more than two weeks, especially a dry cough, can be a sign of\u00a0lung cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Chronic headache<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A headache that lasts more than two weeks and doesn\u2019t respond to the usual medications can be caused by a\u00a0brain tumor.D<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><strong>7. Difficulty swallowing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you feel as though food is getting stuck in your throat or you have trouble swallowing for more than two weeks, this can be a sign of\u00a0throat cancer,\u00a0lung cancer\u00a0or\u00a0stomach cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8. Excessive bruising<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A bruise on your shin from bumping into the coffee table is normal. But suddenly getting a lot of bruises in unusual places you don\u2019t remember bumping can indicate various blood cancers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9. Frequent fevers or infections<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Spiking a fever over and over or going immediately from one infection to the next can indicate an immune system that\u2019s been affected by\u00a0leukemia\u00a0or lymphoma\u00a0(Hodgkin\u2019s\u00a0or\u00a0non-Hodgkin\u2019s).<\/p>\n<p><strong>10. Oral changes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Persistent sores, lesions or painful areas in the mouth, especially in people who smoke or drink heavily, can indicate various\u00a0oral cancers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11. Skin changes<\/strong><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p>Any changes in the appearance of a mole or birthmark could be indicative of skin cancer and should be evaluated. To remember which changes could be cause for concern, try using this memory aid,\u00a0ABCDE.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Asymmetry. One half of the mole or mark doesn\u2019t look like the other.<\/li>\n<li>Border. The edges are irregular or blurred.<\/li>\n<li>Color. It\u2019s varied or inconsistent, and it\u2019s both black and brown.<\/li>\n<li>Diameter. It\u2019s larger than the size of a pencil eraser.<\/li>\n<li>Evolving. It grows, bleeds or otherwise changes over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>12. Pain that lasts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Persistent pain anywhere in your body that has no clear cause and doesn\u2019t respond to standard\u00a0treatments should be evaluated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13. Persistent fatigue<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A sudden, lasting change in your energy level, no matter how much sleep you get, can be a sign of lymphoma or\u00a0leukemia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14. Postmenopausal bleeding<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are a number of reasons you may experience bleeding after menopause, but if it persists, your doctor may want to check for\u00a0cervical cancer\u00a0or\u00a0endometrial cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15. Stomach pain or nausea<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unusual stomach discomfort that lasts more than two weeks can\u00a0be a warning sign of\u00a0liver cancer,\u00a0pancreatic cancer\u00a0or various digestive system cancers.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<div id=\"page\" class=\"site grid-container container hfeed\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"site-content\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\"><main id=\"main\" class=\"site-main\"><\/p>\n<article id=\"post-24681\" class=\"post-24681 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n<div class=\"inside-article\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><strong>16. Unexplained weight loss<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In most people, weight goes up and down. But losing weight when you\u2019re not trying or losing your appetite for what seems like no reason can potentially indicate many types of cancers, especially ones that have spread.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17. Unusual lumps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Any new lump or mass that doesn\u2019t go away should be evaluated. Lymph nodes, the small glands in the armpits, groin and neck that produce white blood cells to help fight infection, often become swollen when you have a cold. But if the swelling persists after you\u2019re well, you should contact your doctor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container container-w-small margin-bottom-responsive-rte rte-container\" data-componentname=\"BodyCopy\">\n<div>\n<p><em>UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the main signs and symptoms of cancer? Early detection is one of the best weapons against cancer. Screenings&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1481,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions\/1481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flavorlab.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}