Doctor shares the five ‘red flag signs’ of cancer that people should never ignore

A doctor has explained the five 'red flag signs' that could indicate you've got undiagnosed cancer.

You will almost certainly recognise some of these 'red flags' as the symptoms of cancer but it never hurts to be reminded of the early warning signs.

TikToking doc Raj Arora laid out the five main warning signs, including some which you might not have known about.

Ignoring them is something best not done, as the doctor recommended that if you saw any one of the signs then you ought to be going to see your doctor.

She added that even if it doesn't turn out to be cancer it could be the sign of another health condition which you'd still need treatment for and also shouldn't be ignoring.

Sudden weight loss

Top of her list was 'unexpected weight loss', where suddenly you're shedding the pounds but something doesn't add up.

She said: "You're not gyming, you're not dieting, you're not trying to lose weight but you're still losing weight anyway.

"Or if you are quite active and fit you're losing more weight than you anticipated and things are just not quite right, [it's] really important to see your doctor and explore this."

The doctor explained that 'unexpected weight loss' was something to look out for as a symptom of cancer.

Blood in the toilet

You've probably heard of this one as a common warning sign for cancer as well.

Dr Raj said to 'never ignore' blood in your pee or poo, making a point that it was imperative you 'go and see your doctor'.

She explained that there might be other reasons that you might have blood in your urine or poo as it might point towards an infection, but the doc was adamant that you should 'always get it checked out'.

Lumps

The doc said this was the one 'most people know about' and it could be lumps anywhere on your body.

"If you found a new lump it's really important that you go and see your doctor," she said.

"It doesn't always end up being cancer. However, it's important to rule out serious things and to catch lumps and bumps that are cancerous early so you have a higher chance of effective treatment."

Nuff said, really.

Post-menopausal bleeding

Dr Raj said that if you had 'vaginal bleeding after you've been through the menopause' then you should definitely go and see a doctor.

She added that it was 'really important' for you to also go and seek a medical opinion of your were having vaginal bleeding after having sex as well.

Once again this sign didn't guarantee it was cancer, but she said it was 'really important to rule that out first'.

Persistent bloating

Last on the list was 'persistent tummy bloating' and 'indigestion that's not getting any better, even after treatment'.

"This one's ignored quite a bit," she said as the doc stressed that it was 'really important' you didn't just let this symptom pass by without concern.

The doctor said she'd seen a lot of patients who'd had indigestion for a long time and ignored it, and stressed that beyond her 'top five red flag symptoms' there were many other warning signs you'd do well not to ignore.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.