Signs and symptoms

It's important to be aware of any unexplained changes to your body, such as the sudden appearance of a lump, blood in your urine, or a change to your usual bowel habits.

These symptoms are often caused by other, non-cancerous illnesses, but it's important to see your GP so they can investigate.

If your GP suspects cancer, they'll refer you to a specialist – usually within 2 weeks.

The specialist will carry out further tests, such as a biopsy or X-ray, and plan any necessary treatment.

Read more about waiting times for cancer referrals and treatment.

Lump in your breast

See your GP if you notice a lump in your breast or if you have a lump that's rapidly increasing in size elsewhere on your body.

Your GP will refer you to a specialist for tests if they think you may have cancer.

Coughing, chest pain and breathlessness

Visit your GP if you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks.

Symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain may be a sign of a severe (acute) condition, such as pneumonia. See your GP straight away if you experience these types of symptoms.

Changes in bowel habits

See your GP if you've experienced one of the changes listed below and it's lasted for more than a few weeks:

• blood in your poo
• diarrhoea or constipation for no obvious reason
• a feeling of not having fully emptied your bowels after going to the toilet
• pain in your stomach (abdomen) or back passage (anus)
• persistent bloating

Bleeding

You should also see your GP if you have any unexplained bleeding, such as:

• blood in your urine 
• bleeding between periods
• bleeding from your bottom 
• blood when you cough 
• blood in your vomit

Moles

See your GP if you have a mole that:

• changes shape or looks uneven
• changes colour, gets darker or has more than 2 colours
• starts itching, crusting, flaking or bleeding
• gets larger or more raised from the skin

Any of the above changes means there's a chance you have malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

Unexplained weight loss

You should also see your GP if you've lost a lot of weight over the last couple of months that cannot be explained by changes to your diet, exercise or stress.

Read about unintentional weight loss.

More information

The following links have more useful information about cancer.

Cancer Research UK: cancer symptom checker

Macmillan: signs and symptoms of cancer

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): referral for suspected cancer

Page last reviewed: Sat Sep 2022 Next review due: Wed Feb 2020