What is cancer?
Meet Lizzy the liver cell
What causes cancer?
How is cancer detected?
How is cancer treated?
Cancer statistics
ABC glossary of cancer terms

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ABCs of Cancer
   
 
What are the symptoms of cancer?
   
  Symptoms describe what a person feels within his or her body that may be a sign of an illness or indicate something is wrong within the body. Most cancers take a long time to develop and produce symptoms of cancer. Most of the time the symptoms of cancer are similar to that of many common illnesses and infectious disease. These symptoms are indications that the person may need medical attention, so if a person should experience any of them they should consult a doctor. The only way to be sure if you have cancer is to see a doctor and to undergo specific tests and evaluation.
If a patient has symptoms, a doctor might order cancer detection tests such as X-rays and blood tests. If it is suspected that the problem is cancer, the doctor will probably recommend seeing an oncologist (say: on-kol-ah-jist), a doctor who treats cancer patients.



Some cancer warning signs that people should watch out for are
   
 
· Weakness and fatigue
· Loss of appetite and weight loss
· Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
· Nagging cough or hoarseness
· A sore that does not heal
· Easy bleeding or bruising
· Unusual bleeding or discharge
· Constant fever or chills
· Changes in bowel habit
· Obvious change in the size and colour of a mole
· Formation of any lumps, especially if they feel hard
   
  Find out about Screening Tests for cancer