If you experience a major and unexplained change in your energy level—especially alongside weight loss, pain, fever, bleeding, or other symptoms—it is worth discussing with a doctor.
4. Skin Changes
Changes in a mole or other skin lesion can include:
- A noticeable change in size
- An irregular border
- Multiple or unusual colors
- Changes in shape
- Persistent itching or bleeding
- A sore that does not heal
The commonly used ABCDE approach—Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, and Evolving—can help people recognize potentially concerning changes.
Not every unusual mole is melanoma, but changing lesions should be assessed by a healthcare professional.
5. Persistent Pain Without an Obvious Explanation
Pain is extremely common and usually has a non-cancerous cause. But persistent, unexplained pain deserves attention, particularly when it progressively worsens or is associated with other symptoms.
Depending on the location, doctors may investigate different possible causes involving muscles, joints, nerves, organs, or other tissues.
6. Changes in Bowel Habits
A prolonged change in bowel habits can include:
- Persistent diarrhea
- Persistent constipation
- Narrower-than-usual stools
- A feeling that the bowel has not completely emptied
- Blood in the stool
- Significant changes in frequency
These symptoms can result from diet, medications, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, infections, and many other conditions. Persistent changes should still be evaluated.