ABSTRACT
A further problem with early diagnosis of cancer is that it may not necessarily present in a straightforward way that immediately alerts the suspicion of the clinician. Whilst there are certain signs and symptoms which give a very obvious indication to the attending physician that further investigation is required, the initial presentation of cancer may also be more obscure. This is because the local effects which give rise to the presenting signs and symptoms of cancer can be a secondary result of the actual primary cancerous processes of cell division and invasion. Also the process of metastatic spread may give rise to apparently unrelated signs and symptoms due to the progressive growth of cancer cells in sites distant from the site of origin of the primary tumour.
