India’s most common cancers start with silent symptoms: Oncologist reveals the first signs you must never ignore

Breast cancer, mouth cancer, lung and throat cancers and cervical cancer together account for a substantial proportion of India’s cancer burden, and their earliest symptoms often remain unrecognised. A recent Instagram reel featuring oncologist Dr Jayesh Sharma summarised several initial warning signs that people commonly overlook, including lumps in the breast, wounds in the mouth that fail to heal, unexplained bleeding in the mouth and abnormal vaginal bleeding. These signs may seem small or nonspecific, yet they often represent early-stage changes that allow cancers to be detected long before they spread. As incidence rises and screening access varies across regions, understanding these symptoms and the scientific evidence supporting them has become increasingly important for timely