Because cancer is more likely to be cured if less advanced when treatment is begun, it is critical that cancer be discovered early. Some symptoms may give early warning of cancer and should, therefore, trigger a person to seek medical care. Fortunately, most of these symptoms are usually caused by far less serious conditions. Nonetheless, the development of any of the warning signs of cancer should not be ignored.

Some of the warning signs are general. That is, they are vague changes that do not help pinpoint any particular cancer. Still, their presence can help direct doctors to do the physical examinations and laboratory tests necessary to exclude or confirm a diagnosis. Other symptoms are much more specific and steer doctors to a particular kind of cancer or location. Some warning signs of cancer are

• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Night sweats
• Loss of appetite
• New, persistent pain
• Recurrent nausea or vomiting
• Blood in urine
• Blood in stool (either visible or detectable by special tests)
• Sudden depression
• A recent change in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea)
• Recurrent fever
• Chronic cough
• Changes in the size or color of a mole or changes in a skin ulcer that does not heal
• Enlarged lymph nodes