Most symptoms on this page are caused by something other than cancer. The aim is simple: help you notice changes that last, and know when to get them checked.
Symptoms overlap with many non-cancer conditions. This page cannot tell you what is causing a symptom. If a change persists, worsens, or comes with other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Filter by body area, type or how soon to act. Select a card for other common causes, when to seek care, and questions to ask.
Showing all 17 symptomsTap a card for details, other causes and questions to ask.
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A lump in the breast, neck, armpit, testicle, groin or elsewhere that is new or has changed.
Breast & chest · Head & neckLearn more
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Most lumps are not cancer. Swollen lymph glands with a cold, cysts and fatty lumps are common. A lump is worth checking when it is new, hard, painless, growing, or still there after two to three weeks.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Swollen lymph glands from an infection
Fluid-filled cysts
Fatty lumps (lipomas)
Hormonal breast changes around periods
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment if a lump is new, growing, feels hard or fixed, or has not gone down after two to three weeks. Breast and testicle lumps are worth checking promptly at any age.
Questions you could ask
Could this be a lymph gland, a cyst or something else?
Does it need a scan or a biopsy, or is it reasonable to watch it?
If we watch it, how long, and what change should make me come back sooner?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Skin dimpling, a nipple that turns inwards, discharge, a rash on the nipple, or a change in shape.
Breast & chestLearn more
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Breasts change with age, periods, pregnancy and weight. What matters is a change that is new for you and does not settle. Men can get breast cancer too, so the same applies to everyone.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Normal changes during the menstrual cycle
Infection or inflammation (mastitis)
Benign lumps such as fibroadenomas
Skin conditions such as eczema
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment for a new change that lasts beyond one cycle, or any change after menopause. Do not wait for a screening invitation.
Questions you could ask
What might be causing this change?
Do I need an examination, a mammogram or an ultrasound?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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A cough lasting three weeks or more, a changed cough, or hoarseness that does not settle.
Lungs & breathing · Head & neckLearn more
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Coughs from colds usually clear within three weeks. A cough that lasts longer, keeps changing, or comes with breathlessness, chest pain or weight loss deserves a check, especially if you smoke or used to.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Lingering after a viral infection
Asthma or chronic lung disease
Acid reflux
Side effect of some blood pressure medicines
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment if a cough lasts three weeks or more, or a hoarse voice lasts more than three weeks. Seek prompt care if you cough up blood or become short of breath.
Questions you could ask
Could this be infection, asthma, reflux or something else?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Seek prompt care
Blood in phlegm, even a small streak, especially if it happens more than once.
Lungs & breathingLearn more
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Blood in phlegm can come from a chest infection or irritation, but it always deserves prompt attention so the cause can be found.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Chest infection or bronchitis
Irritation from a long bout of coughing
Nosebleed running down the throat
Tuberculosis
When to seek medical attention
Contact a clinician promptly. If you cough up more than a small amount of blood, or you are breathless or dizzy, seek emergency care.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Blood in or on your stool, black stools, or looser, more frequent or harder-to-pass stools for several weeks.
Abdomen & digestionLearn more
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Piles (haemorrhoids) are a very common cause of bright red blood. Still, blood in stool or a lasting change in bowel habit should be checked rather than assumed to be piles.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Piles (haemorrhoids) or a small tear (anal fissure)
Infections or food intolerance
Inflammatory bowel disease
Medicines and diet changes
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment for blood in stool or a bowel change lasting three weeks or more. Seek emergency care for heavy bleeding, fainting, or severe tummy pain.
Questions you could ask
Could this be piles, an infection or something else?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Seek prompt care
Urine that looks pink, red or brown, even once and even without pain.
Urinary & kidneyLearn more
Seek prompt care
Some foods (such as beetroot) and medicines can colour urine. Visible blood that is not explained by these should be checked promptly, even if it happens only once and goes away.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Urinary tract infection
Kidney or bladder stones
Strenuous exercise
Enlarged prostate
When to seek medical attention
Contact a clinician promptly, ideally within a day or two. Seek emergency care if you cannot pass urine or have severe pain.
Questions you could ask
Could this be infection or stones?
Do I need a urine test, a scan or a look inside the bladder (cystoscopy)?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Bleeding after menopause, between periods, or after sex.
Pelvis & genitalsLearn more
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Hormonal changes, contraception and infections are common causes. Any bleeding after menopause should always be checked.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Hormonal changes or contraception
Infections
Polyps
Vaginal dryness after menopause
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment for any bleeding after menopause, or bleeding between periods or after sex. Do not rely on a normal screening result: screening is for people without symptoms.
Questions you could ask
What might be causing this bleeding?
Do I need an examination, an ultrasound or other tests?
Does my last cervical screening result change anything?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Losing weight without trying, often with a reduced appetite.
Whole bodyLearn more
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Stress, thyroid problems, diabetes and digestive conditions can all cause weight loss. Losing weight without trying, especially around 5% of body weight over a few months, is worth discussing.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Stress, low mood or anxiety
Overactive thyroid
Diabetes
Digestive conditions or infections
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment if you have lost weight without trying and do not know why.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Discuss if it persists
Feeling exhausted for weeks despite rest, often with other changes such as looking pale or getting breathless.
Whole body · Blood & immune systemLearn more
Discuss if it persists
Tiredness is extremely common and usually has everyday causes. It matters more when it lasts for weeks, is new for you, or comes with weight loss, fevers, night sweats, bruising or breathlessness.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Poor sleep, stress or low mood
Iron-deficiency anaemia
Thyroid problems
Infections, long COVID or medicines
When to seek medical attention
Discuss it if tiredness lasts more than a few weeks or comes with other symptoms on this list.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Food sticking, pain on swallowing, or heartburn and indigestion that keep coming back.
Abdomen & digestion · Head & neckLearn more
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Reflux and indigestion are common and often linked to diet or medicines. Food that sticks, pain on swallowing, or indigestion that is new after about age 55 or does not respond to treatment should be checked.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Acid reflux or gastritis
Stomach ulcers
Anxiety
Muscle problems of the food pipe
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment if food sticks when you swallow, or indigestion lasts three weeks or more. Seek emergency care if you vomit blood or cannot swallow liquids.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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A mole that changes size, shape or colour, bleeds or itches, or a sore that does not heal after several weeks.
SkinLearn more
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Most moles and spots are harmless. The ABCDE guide helps: Asymmetry, irregular Border, several Colours, Diameter larger than about 6 mm, and Evolving (changing). Skin cancer can look different on darker skin, including on the palms, soles and under nails.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Harmless moles and seborrhoeic keratoses
Eczema or psoriasis
Minor injuries and infections
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment for a mole that is changing, a new mole in adulthood that looks different from your others, or a sore that has not healed after four weeks.
Questions you could ask
Does this need a closer look (dermoscopy) or a biopsy?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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An ulcer, lump, or red or white patch in the mouth that lasts more than three weeks.
Head & neckLearn more
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Most mouth ulcers heal within two weeks. Chewing tobacco, betel quid (paan), smoking and heavy alcohol use raise the risk of mouth cancer, so a lasting patch or ulcer matters more if you use them.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Ordinary mouth ulcers
Rubbing from teeth or dentures
Thrush and other infections
Vitamin deficiencies
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment with a dentist or doctor for any ulcer, lump or red or white patch lasting more than three weeks.
Questions you could ask
Could this be from my teeth, an infection or something else?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
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Bruising easily, bleeding gums or nosebleeds, frequent infections, drenching night sweats or fevers without a clear cause.
Blood & immune system · Whole bodyLearn more
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Blood cancers can cause vague symptoms that overlap with common infections. A pattern of several of these, or symptoms that keep returning, is worth a simple blood test.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Viral infections
Medicines such as blood thinners
Hormonal changes (night sweats)
Low platelets for other reasons
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment soon. Seek prompt care for bleeding that will not stop, a high fever, or a rash of tiny red-purple spots that do not fade when pressed.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Seek prompt care
New, persistent headaches together with seizures, vision changes, weakness, confusion or personality changes.
Brain & nervesLearn more
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Headaches on their own are very rarely caused by a brain tumour. What matters is a new pattern, or headaches that come with other nervous-system changes.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Tension headaches and migraine
Medication-overuse headaches
High blood pressure
Eye strain or sinus problems
When to seek medical attention
Seek prompt care for new headaches with other nerve changes. Use emergency services for a first seizure, sudden weakness or numbness, sudden confusion, or the worst headache of your life.
Questions you could ask
Could this be migraine or something else?
Do I need a scan?
Which symptoms should make me call emergency services?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Discuss if it persists
Bloating most days, feeling full after a few bites, or pelvic or tummy pain for several weeks.
Abdomen & digestion · Pelvis & genitalsLearn more
Discuss if it persists
Bloating that comes and goes is very common. Bloating that is there most days for three weeks or more, especially with needing to pass urine more often or feeling full quickly, is worth discussing. This can be an early sign of ovarian cancer, which is often missed.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Irritable bowel syndrome
Food intolerance
Constipation
Hormonal changes
When to seek medical attention
Discuss it if bloating is there most days for three weeks or more. Book an appointment sooner if it comes with weight loss or bleeding.
Questions you could ask
Could this be IBS or something else?
Would a CA-125 blood test or pelvic ultrasound help?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Discuss if it persists
Needing to go more often, especially at night, a weak flow, or difficulty starting.
Urinary & kidney · Pelvis & genitalsLearn more
Discuss if it persists
In men these symptoms are most often caused by a non-cancerous enlarged prostate, which is common with age. They are still worth discussing, and a clinician can explain the pros and cons of a PSA test.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia)
Urinary tract infection
Overactive bladder
Drinking more fluids, caffeine or alcohol
When to seek medical attention
Discuss it if the change lasts or bothers you. Seek prompt care for blood in urine or if you cannot pass urine.
Questions you could ask
Could this be an enlarged prostate or an infection?
Should I have a PSA test, and what are its pros and cons for me?
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
Seek prompt care
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or the skin, often with itching, dark urine or pale stools.
Abdomen & digestion · SkinLearn more
Seek prompt care
Jaundice means bile is building up in the blood. Hepatitis, gallstones and liver conditions are common causes. It always needs a prompt assessment.
This symptom can have many causes. Some are not cancer. If it persists, worsens, or is accompanied by other concerning signs, speak with a healthcare professional.
Other common causes
Gallstones blocking a bile duct
Hepatitis and other liver conditions
Some medicines
Gilbert's syndrome (harmless)
When to seek medical attention
Contact a clinician promptly, the same day if you can. Seek emergency care if you also have a high fever, severe pain or confusion.
Seek urgent medical care for severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, confusion, sudden weakness, or fainting.
No symptoms match these filters
Try removing a filter or searching for a simpler word. If you are worried about a symptom that is not listed, speak with a healthcare professional.
Symptom guides by body system
Sixteen guides covering common symptoms, symptoms that may be benign, when to seek medical attention, questions to ask, related tests and emotional support.
The most common cancer worldwide. Knowing what is normal for your breasts helps you notice change.
A new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
Skin dimpling, puckering or redness
Nipple turning inwards, discharge or rash
4 signs · 3 questionsOpen guide
The most common cancer worldwide. Knowing what is normal for your breasts helps you notice change.
These symptoms overlap with many conditions that are not cancer. Having one does not mean you have cancer.
Common symptoms
A new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
Skin dimpling, puckering or redness
Nipple turning inwards, discharge or rash
A change in size or shape
Symptoms that may be benign
Similar symptoms are often caused by:
Cysts and fibroadenomas
Hormonal changes with periods
Mastitis and other infections
When to seek medical attention
Book an appointment for any new change that does not settle after one cycle, or any change after menopause.
Questions to ask a doctor
What might explain this change?
Do I need a mammogram, ultrasound or biopsy?
How does my family history affect screening for me?
An abnormal screening result usually means cell changes, not cancer. See what an abnormal result may mean on the screening page. Patient and family support.
Symptoms can be vague and similar to digestive problems, which is why they are often missed.
Persistent bloating most days
Feeling full quickly or loss of appetite
Pelvic or tummy pain
4 signs · 3 questionsOpen guide
Symptoms can be vague and similar to digestive problems, which is why they are often missed.
These symptoms overlap with many conditions that are not cancer. Having one does not mean you have cancer.
Common symptoms
Persistent bloating most days
Feeling full quickly or loss of appetite
Pelvic or tummy pain
Needing to pass urine more often
Symptoms that may be benign
Similar symptoms are often caused by:
Irritable bowel syndrome
Ovarian cysts
Endometriosis
When to seek medical attention
Discuss symptoms present most days for three weeks or more. Book sooner if they are getting worse.
Questions to ask a doctor
Could a CA-125 test or pelvic ultrasound help?
Does my family history suggest genetic counselling (for example BRCA)?