Symptoms of cancer can be classified as common or specific. Common symptoms are those present in all types of cancer regardless of the organ affected. Specific symptoms on the other hand are those present in specific types of cancer particular to the organ it affects and organs in which it metastasized.

The most common symptoms of cancer are abbreviated as CAUTION. Each letter stands for a symptom experienced by all cancer patients. C for change in bowel or bladder habits, A for a sore or wound that does not heal, U for unusual bleeding, T for thickening of tissue or lump, I for indigestion, O for obvious change in wart or mole, and N for nagging cough or hoarseness.

For the specific types of cancer, these are their specific symptoms.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Brain: Headache, weakness, uncoordinated movements, seizures, decreased level of consciousness, difficulty in walking, vision disturbances, speech defects, gradual loss of memory, and deteriorating cognitive functions.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Throat: Dyspnea, difficulty speaking, ear pain, dysphagia, and blocked sinuses and chronic sinusitis unresponsive to treatment.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Breast: Presence of mass in the breast, swelling of the lymph nodes in the arm pit, clear, bloody or pus-like nipple discharge, pain in the nipples, chronic breast tenderness, dimpling in the skin of the breast and nipples, and breast pain.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Lungs: Dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis or coughing up of blood, wheezing, chest pain, lung abscess, effusion, and pneumonia.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Stomach: Stomach discomfort, bloated feeling, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and blood in the stool.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Colon: Jaundice, anemia, diarrhea, constipation, bright red or dark red colored and pencil-like stools.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Ovaries: Bloating feeling, urinary urgency, pelvic pain, urinary frequency, increased abdominal girth, dyspareunia or pain during sexual intercourse, low back pain, and irregular menstruation.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Cervix: Abnormal bleeding which occurs between menstrual periods, after menopause, after sexual intercourse, and after a pelvic exam, Menstruation is longer than normal, abnormal vaginal discharge, and pelvic pain.

Symptoms of Cancer of the Prostate: A node in the prostate gland, painful urination, hematuria or blood in the urine, and lower back and pelvic pain.

Symptoms of Leukemia: Bruising, intermittent infections, fever, bleeding gums and nose, swollen lymph nodes, abdominal pain, and bone and joint pains.

For cancer, early detection and treatment is the best option. Since some of its symptoms appear when the cancer is already in the late and almost irreversible stage, early symptoms must be given appropriate intervention. Management of cancer is generally of four ways, anti-neoplastic drugs or medications, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Cancer treatments are rarely curative, or render complete healing of the disease. For most cancer, the management is already palliative which aims to lengthen the life of the patient and provide the best comfort available. Palliative cancer care also focuses on the management of the symptoms of cancer.