Do cancerous tumors hurt?

All cancerous tumors eventually cause pain if they aren't treated, but they are usually painless at first. Some tumors cause pain early in the progression of the disease, such as bone tumors and testicular tumors.

Most cancer-related pain occurs when cancer spreads to other parts of the body than the spot where it originated or when a tumor grows large enough to press on organs, bones or nerves. A tumor that presses on the spinal cord can cause pain in the back and/or neck that is often exacerbated by movement and is sometimes accompanied by pain in a limb. A tumor in the brain can cause a persistent headache that doesn't respond to normal headache treatments.