Cancer usually causes symptoms only when the tumor grows aggressively. Cervical cancer can be detected by taking a cervical smear.
Women between the ages of 50 and 69 should have a mammogram every two years. Colon cancer can also be detected early by examining the stool for the presence of blood. Men over the age of 45 should have their genitals and prostate examined annually. The examination is performed by feeling the prostate from the rectum, and the lymph nodes in this area of the body are also examined.