I’m Worried I May Have Cancer

Signs and symptoms of cancer

If something does not feel right in your body, then it is vital that you get it checked it out.

It can be scary when you notice something not quite right, but please do not put off making an appointment with your doctor. It may be nothing, but if it is cancer, the quicker it is picked up the more easily it can be treated.

The symptoms that you might notice could be ongoing symptoms, which last for more than three weeks; unexplained symptoms which have no reason, or symptoms that are unusual for you.

What kind of things should you be looking out for?

• The NHS has a useful guide to some of the signs and symptoms.
• Macmillan Cancer Support has information on how to recognise the symptoms of cancer and when you should see your GP.
• Cancer Research UK has details on some of the key signs and symptoms.
• This easy read booklet about signs and symptoms of cancer is useful.
• Signs and symptoms booklets are also available in many languages:  Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Guajarati, Hindi, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Somali, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Urdu, Welsh, and Yoruba.

There is also information on the signs and symptoms of different types of cancer. But it is important to remember, that these are just a guide; if you are worried about a change in your body, please do get it checked out. It might be nothing.

• Macmillan Cancer Support – Worried about cancer? Cancer signs and symptoms
  Cancer Research UK – Your cancer type

Checking for cancer

There are steps that we can take to check ourselves for cancer.

• Cancer Research UK has information on how you can check yourself for cancer.

There is information about how you can check different parts of your body for changes:

• Learn how to check your breasts on the NHS website here.
• Breast Cancer UK has a useful film that demonstrates how you can check
  your breasts.
• Macmillan Cancer Support offers guidance on how to check your testicles.

Getting help

If you are worried about any signs or symptoms in your body, then it is vital that you get checked out.

So, what do you do?

Contact your GP Surgery

If you are worried about anything in your body, the first thing you need to do is contact your GP surgery. Watch Dianne’s story on her journey to getting checked by her GP.

Macmillan has a blog which offers help if you are struggling to get a GP appointment.

Ask for an appointment with your GP to assess your symptoms. After this appointment, your GP or nurse may refer you to the hospital to assess your worrying symptoms to rule out cancer. Expect the hospital to contact you in the next month. This may be a call with a nurse to discuss your worrying symptoms and or about attending the hospital for a
diagnostic investigation, or for a one stop shop clinic.

This does not mean you have cancer: more than 9 out of 10 people referred this way are not diagnosed with cancer.

The appointment

If you do have a hospital appointment, it is important that you attend this. Your appointment letter will include information about what will happen at the appointment, where you will go, and what tests – if any, will be carried out.

• At the appointment, you may speak to a specialist or be sent for tests. The kind of tests you might have include an X-ray, a CT scan or an endoscopy.
• Find out more about the tests that the NHS uses to check for cancer.

After the appointment

The doctor who orders your tests will explain your results. You may need to have further tests.

If you do not have cancer, it is important you continue to check your body.

If you do have cancer, there will be lots of support available for you. It will of course be a very worrying time, but you will not be alone: there will be people with help, support, and information available to you. The next steps will be explained to you.

Find out more:

• Macmillan Cancer has information on rapid referral guidelines, including for different types of cancer.
• Cancer Research UK has more information about your urgent suspected cancer referral.
• The NHS has information on waiting times in England.

Get Support

If you are worried that you might have cancer, there is help there for you:

• You can call the Macmillan Support Line for free: 0808 239 1557
• Whatever you need to ask | Macmillan Cancer Support You can call 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm. You can also find out other ways to get in touch.
• Ask our nurses a question | Cancer Research UK If you or someone close to you have been affected by cancer and you have questions, it is easy to call Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040 Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Please note that they cannot diagnose you or give a medical opinion.