Cancer can occur anywhere in the body and cause "almost any" symptom, according to the American Cancer Society, or the ACS. Sometimes these symptoms are impossible to ignore. But sometimes they're vague and all too easy to brush aside or miss completely.
But noticing cancer symptoms is important, since treatments work best when the disease is found early. So Insider asked two doctors — Dr. Ioana Bonta, a medical oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and Dr. Marleen Meyers, a breast medical oncologist at NYU Langone Medical Center — about cancer symptoms you might miss.
Both stressed that even if you notice a possible sign of cancer, you shouldn't panic. Lots of symptoms that sometimes indicate cancer are most often caused by something totally benign.
"Unless the symptoms are interfering with your day to day life or life-threatening, the key is to keep an eye on it for a while and see if it goes away, because for most people it will," Meyers said. Her rule of thumb: If a new symptom doesn't resolve after about two weeks, that's a good time to call your doctor.
This list is by no means exhaustive — symptoms can vary greatly based on cancer type, size, and location in the body — but it's a good place to start. Here are 14 possible symptoms to look out for.