
"Give a little time to see if it goes away. "I think, in general, we don't want people to panic," Meyers said. A doctor will know when a scan, biopsy, or other test is truly going to be more helpful than harmful. CT scans, for example, expose your body to radiation. Some testing and screening procedures have risks or complications, too. "Talk to any patient who ever had a biopsy about what you're going through psychologically while you're waiting for it and while you're having it." "The financial costs and psychological costs can be very high," Bonta said. Both Meyers and Bonta stressed that unnecessary testing can actually be harmful. Not every symptom indicates cancer, and not every symptom warrants a battery of tests. Not every one of these symptoms is a surefire sign of cancer. Here are 14 possible symptoms to look out for. This list is by no means exhaustive - symptoms can vary greatly based on cancer type, size, and location in the body - but it's a good place to start. Her rule of thumb: If a new symptom doesn't resolve after about two weeks, that's a good time to call your doctor. "Unless the symptoms are interfering with your day to day life or life-threatening, the key is to keep an eye on it for a while and see if it goes away, because for most people it will," Meyers said.

Lots of symptoms that sometimes indicate cancer are most often caused by something totally benign. Marleen Meyers, a breast medical oncologist at NYU Langone Medical Center - about cancer symptoms you might miss.īoth stressed that even if you notice a possible sign of cancer, you shouldn't panic. Ioana Bonta, a medical oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and Dr.

It often indicates a user profile.īut noticing cancer symptoms is important, since treatments work best when the disease is found early. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
