How to spot skin, breast and testicular cancer, and why monthly self-checks are key

If you check your body regularly for changes, you can detect cancer early. Here is how, from spotting moles to feeling for breast lumps

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If you regularly check your body for changes, you can detect cancer early. Here is how, from spotting moles, possibly a sign of skin cancer, to feeling for breast lumps. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:45pm, 11 Mar 2025

Wherever a malignant tumour may form, the sooner you find it the better your chances of it being treated successfully.

Self-checking can identify several types of cancer, and it is well worth spending the few minutes it takes once a month. Read on to learn how.

The number of skin cancer cases is rising: skin cancer is the 17th most common cancer worldwide and the 14th most common cancer in men and women, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

In Hong Kong in 2022, according to the city’s Centre for Health Protection, there were 1,006 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, which represents 90 per cent of all skin cancers in the city, and they accounted for 2.8 per cent of all new cancer cases in Hong Kong. It is the ninth most common cancer among men in the city.

UV radiation from the sun is a key risk factor for skin cancer.

If you suddenly see a new mole or one that suddenly looks different, this could be an indicator of skin cancer. Apply the ABCDE rule. Photo: Shutterstock

If you suddenly see a new mole or one that suddenly looks different, this could be an indicator of skin cancer. Apply the ABCDE rule – for asymmetry; border irregularities; colour variations, such as different shades of brown or black with patches of red, blue, or grey; diameter, often larger than the size of the eraser on a pencil; and whether it is evolving, seen in changes in size, shape, colour, or elevation.