Cancer symptoms can include neck swelling, skin sores that will not heal, or ongoing pain. It's important to see a doctor if you have these signs.

Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines: As of April 2025, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that cisgender women and people assigned female at birth get mammograms every two years beginning at age 40. This is 10 years earlier than the previous guidelines. More research is needed on whether people with dense breasts should have additional screenings as well as the potential benefits and risks of screening people older than 75.1

1. A Pearly Pimple

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. There are several different types. The main ones are squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and, somewhat less common, melanoma.2

Marc Glashofer, MD, a board-certified, private-practice dermatologist specializing in skin cancer in Northern New Jersey, said that basal cell carcinomas sometimes have a pearly translucent or waxy appearance. Other times, these cancers look like sores, scaly patches, or cyst-like bumps.

2. Foreign Body Sensation

Feeling like there's a lump in your throat can signal tumors at the base of the tongue or tonsils. These tumors may be caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, often acquired through oral sex.3

HPV can remain dormant in the body for years before causing symptoms. You might not even know you are at risk for oral, head, and neck cancers.3

Cancer Screening

Screening tests are used to find cancer before a person has any symptoms. The American Cancer Society (ACS) offers screening guidelines for breast cancer, colon and rectal cancer and polyps, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer.

3. Ongoing Itching

Some cancers, like lymphomas, can make people extremely itchy.

Lymphomas are cancers that affect the lymph system (part of your immune system). They include Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Regardless of the type, lymphomas can cause itchiness.45

4. Ear Pain

Many conditions can cause "referred otalgia," or ear pain originating from nerves in the head or neck. Oral cancer is one such condition.6

It can also be a sign of a later-stage mouth cancer that's "burrowing down and starting to interfere with those nerves," Bruce Davidson, MD, professor and chairman of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., told Health.

5. Vaginal Bleeding

Unusual bleeding can be a sign of endometrial cancer, or a more common type of uterine cancer that can be cured.7 Any abnormal bleeding needs prompt evaluation, especially after menopause or before in those with risk factors, such as obesity.8

6. A Droopy Eyelid

A droopy upper eyelid can alert doctors to a Pancoast tumor, a type of lung cancer that starts in the upper lung and spreads to nearby tissues.9

This cancer can cause severe shoulder pain and Horner's syndrome, or a droopy eyelid, constricted pupil, and loss of the ability to sweat on one side of the face.10

7. Scaly Patches or Warty Lumps

A red, scaly patch of skin on a sun-exposed area that persists for weeks could be a sign of squamous cell carcinoma.

It often appears on the head, neck, back of the hands, or front of the legs and may have a "warty-looking" or "dome-shaped" appearance. Squamous cell carcinoma is almost always curable when caught early.11

8. Anemia

Blood in your stool is a classic sign of colorectal cancer, which can bleed into the digestive tract.12 This blood loss can lead to anemia, or low red blood cell counts, over time.

Rectal bleeding may be difficult to detect. "It tends to be microscopic bleeding," Craig Moskowitz, MD, chief oncologist at the University of Miami Health System's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Health.

9. A Hoarse Voice

Laryngeal cancer attacks tissues in the voice box (larynx), which houses your vocal cords. This type of cancer might cause hoarseness, throat pain, ear pain, or a lump in the neck or throat. Cancer of the larynx can also spread to the thyroid, trachea (windpipe), or esophagus.13

10. Belly Bloat

In rare cases, bloating and pelvic discomfort can be signs of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer affects about 1.1% of women over the course of their lifetime. Having a family history of ovarian cancer can mean you have an increased risk for the disease.14

11. A Lump in Your Neck

A lump in the neck can be due to thyroid disease or cancer. Neck lumps should always be checked by a doctor.15

Most lumps in adults are not cancerous. The risk of throat cancer increases with age, smoking, or heavy alcohol use.15

12. Breast Swelling or Dimpling

Unusual breast changes require immediate attention.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include:16

• Breast pain
• Changes in the size and shape of the breast
• Dimpling, puckering, scaling, redness, or swelling
• A new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit area
• Nipple discharge
• A nipple that has turned inward

There are many types of breast cancer. Examples include ductal carcinoma, lobular carcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, and Paget's disease of the breast.16

13. Bone Pain

Bone pain may be the result of an injury, infection, or osteoporosis. It can also be a sign of cancer.17

Unexplained bone pain, especially in the spine, pelvis, and ribs, may be a symptom of multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system.18

Bone or joint pain with fever, fatigue, or weight loss can be a sign of leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer.19

14. Pain After Drinking Alcohol

In rare cases, unexplained pain after consuming alcohol can suggest Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes.20

"Usually, these patients can have some swollen lymph nodes in the neck or the chest," said Dr. Moskowitz. Hodgkin lymphoma can start almost anywhere in the body. The most common sites are the lymph nodes in the chest, neck, or under the arms.20

15. Urinary Problems

Urinary symptoms can sometimes occur with bladder cancer, which is the sixth most common cancer in the United States.21 Less commonly, bloody urine may be a symptom of bladder or kidney cancer.22

Kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the United States. It's about twice as common in men as in women. The average age at diagnosis is 65 years old.23

When Should You See a Doctor?

Not every new symptom you have will be cancer. Pay close attention to changes in your body.

See a doctor if you detect any new or unusual symptoms, including pain. A doctor can look at your medical history and perform a physical exam. Depending on your symptoms, they may order tests to see if cancer is present.

Remember: Do not skip regular screenings. Some cancers can be found early, before they have had a chance to grow and spread.