Cancers of various types and at various sites manifest themselves in a variety of ways.

On external surface, any thickening of the tissues, formation of a nodule or tumor, persisting sores and ulcers, can be a feature of cancer.

Internal cancers may grow for some time before they cause any symptom. But weight loss, anaemia and low-grade fever in older people even without any other symptom, should arouse suspicion.

Any of the following manifestations may be cancer:

• A lump or hard area in the breast.
  
  
• A change in a wart or mole.
  
  
• A persistent change in digestive and bowel habits, for example, constipation.
  
  
• A persistent cough or hoarseness in a smoker.
  
  
• Bleeding per vagina at times other than the menstrual.
  
  
• Non-injury bleeding from the surface of the skin, mouth of any other bodily orifice.
  
  
• Any ulcer that does not get well.
  
  
• Unexplained loss of weight.
  
  
• Anorexia or unexplained diminished or lost appetite.
  
  
• Unexplained low-grade fever.
  
  
• Cognitive dysfunction (difficulty with thinking ability including distractibility, trouble with arithmetic and language skills, memory loss, difficulty in performing multiple tasks (multitasking).
  
  
• Depression.
  
  
• Dyspnea (a sensation of uncomfortable awareness of
  breathing).
  
  
• Neutropenia (an abnormally small number of neutrophil cells {type of white blood cells that help fight infection} that occurs as a result of a certain cancer treatments).
  
  
• Pain acute and chronic both)
  
  
• Peripheral neuropathy ( burning, tingling and numbing type of pain in the feet and hands).
  
  
• Sexual dysfunction.