What Are the Seven Warning Signs of Cancer (CAUTION)?

The acronym CAUTION stands for seven potential warning signs of cancer to pay attention to, which includes C for a change in bowel or bladder habits, A for a sore that does not heal, U for unusual bleeding or discharge, T for a thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere, I for indigestion or difficulty swallowing, O for obvious changes in warts or moles, and N for nagging cough or hoarseness.

Cancer describes a group of diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control. 

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States; heart disease is the leading cause. In 2022, it is estimated there were be 1,918,030 new cancer cases and 609,360 cancer deaths in the U.S.

The acronym CAUTION suggests paying attention to seven potential warning signs of cancer: 

C: Change in bowel or bladder habits

• Changes in the color, consistency, size, or shape of stool 
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
• Blood in urine or stool
• Changes in urine color such as deep yellow
• Difficulty passing urine
• Frequent urge to urinate

A: A sore that does not heal

• Sores that: 
  • Don't seem to improve over time
  • Are growing
  • Becoming more painful
  • Bleeding

U: Unusual bleeding or discharge

• Bloody discharge from the nipples
• Penile discharge
• Discharge from any part of the body
• Sudden vaginal bleeding 
• Blood in urine or stool
• Unusual bruising for no known reason

T: Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere

• Lumps or swelling anywhere in the body
• Lumps that are increasing in size
• Even painless lumps should be examined by a doctor
• Pain is often a late symptom

I: Indigestion or difficulty swallowing

• Feeling of pressure in the throat or chest that makes swallowing uncomfortable
• Feeling full when not having eaten or with only a small amount of food 
• Eating problems such as not feeling hungry 
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting

O: Obvious changes in warts or moles

• Use the ABCDE’s: 
  • Asymmetry – Irregularly shaped, each half looks different
  • Border – Jagged, uneven, irregular edges
  • Color – Mole is several different colors
  • Diameter – Size greater than ¼ inch (about the side of an eraser on the end of a pencil)
  • Evolution – Changes in size, shape, or color

N: Nagging cough or hoarseness

• Cough that does not go away
• Change in voice/hoarseness
• Sputum with blood

Other common warning signs of cancer may include: 

• Extreme fatigue or tiredness that doesn’t improve with rest
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain of 10 pounds or more 
• Pain, especially new or unexplained pain, that doesn’t go away or worsens
• Yellowish skin or eyes (jaundice)
• Fever or night sweats
• Headaches
• Vision or hearing problems
• Mouth changes such as sores, bleeding, pain, or numbness

There are more than 100 types of cancer that can affect almost every part of the body. 

Types of cancer are usually named for the organs or tissues in which the cancers form, such as lung cancer, which starts in cells of the lung, and pancreatic cancer, which starts in cells of the pancreas. 

Cancers are also named by the type of cells that form them. Some categories of cancers that begin in specific types of cells include: 

• Carcinomas 
  • Carcinomas are the most common type of cancer, formed by epithelial cells that cover the inside and outside surfaces of the body
• Sarcomas
  • These are cancers that form in soft tissues of the body, including muscle, tendons, fat, blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerves, and tissue around joints
• Leukemias
  • These are cancers that begin in the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow 
• Lymphomas
  • These cancers begin in lymphocytes (T cells or B cells), disease-fighting white blood cells that are part of the immune system
• Multiple myelomas
  • Also called plasma cell myeloma and Kahler disease, these cancers begin in plasma cells, a type of immune cell
• Melanomas
  • These cancers begin in cells that become melanocytes, which are specialized cells that make melanin (the pigment that gives skin its color)
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
  • These types of tumors are named based on the type of cell in which they formed and where the tumor first formed in the central nervous system
• Other types of tumors
  • Germ cell tumors begin in the cells that give rise to sperm or eggs
  • Neuroendocrine tumors form from cells that release hormones into the blood in response to a signal from the nervous system