ABSTRACT
With many cancers, the chances of cure are much greater if they are caught as early as possible in their clinical course. It is thus important to make the general public as aware as possible about the signs and symptoms of cancer whilst it is still localised and, hopefully, before it has metastasised to distant sites. For this reason public education has become increasingly important over the last three decades and screening programmes put in place for cervical cancer and breast cancer in the UK. For many years, the American Cancer Society has emphasised seven danger signals of which the public should be aware in order to encourage people to present as early as possible if there may be a possibility of cancer. These are: (a) a change in a wart or mole; (b) a lump in the breast; (c) a sore in the skin, mouth or elsewhere which does not heal; (d) unusual bleeding or discharge from any source; (e) a persistent cough; (f) indigestion or difficulty in swallowing; (g) change in bowel/ urinary habits. These signals have generally been widely adopted internationally.
