Early detection, the best protection

When cancer is detected early, your chances of successful treatment increase. It’s important to see a primary care provider to monitor your health and help identify any potential health concerns. See your provider if you have symptoms that don’t improve after a few weeks.

Cancer can create a wide variety of signs and symptoms, depending on where it is in the body, how large it is and how much it affects different organs and tissues. Cancer is unpredictable. Sometimes signs and symptoms don’t show up until the cancer has spread and is pressing on nearby nerves or organs.

Potential signs and symptoms:

Breast changes:

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• • •

nipple changes or discharge, lump or firm feeling in your breast or under your arm, or skin that is itchy, red, scaly, dimpled or puckered

• Bladder changes: Bleeding or bruising Bowel changes: Cough

• Eating problems:

trouble or pain urinating, or blood in the urine

for no known reason

Blood in your stool or changes in bowel habits or hoarseness that does not go away

Pain after eating like heartburn or indigestion that doesn’t go away, trouble swallowing, belly pain, nausea and vomiting or appetite changes

that is severe and lasts or night sweats for no known reason

white or red patch on the tongue or in your mouth; or bleeding, pain or numbness in the lip or mouth

headache, seizures, vision or hearing changes,

Fatigue

• Fever

• Mouth changes:

• Neurological problems:

drooping of the face

a sore that doesn’t heal, a new or changing mole, a fleshcolored lump that bleeds or turns scaly, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of eyes) or lumps anywhere, including neck, underarm, stomach or groin

or weight loss for no known reason

Skin changes: • Swelling • Weight gain