Skin (Basal & Squamous cell) / Oral / Genital cancer
A wound, lesion, or ulcer that persists beyond 4 weeks
A sore, scab, or ulcer that keeps showing up in the same spot. On the skin (especially sun-exposed areas: face, ears, scalp, forearms, hands). In the mouth. On the genitals. It might bleed, scab over, seem to heal, then come back. Or it might just stay open.
What it could mean
Non-healing sores are how basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas often show up on skin. In the mouth, a non-healing ulcer can signal oral cancer. On the genitals, HPV-related cancers. These are not exotic diagnoses: they’re common cancers with clear early signs that get ignored because "it’s just a sore."
What it probably is (to be fair)
Most non-healing skin sores are caused by scratching, friction, chronic sun damage, or infection. Mouth sores are usually canker sores or bites. Genital sores are usually irritation or herpes. Cancer is not the first bet, but 4+ weeks is the line where "probably" needs to be verified.
Why this gets dismissed
A doctor telling you "just keep it moisturized" or "just rinse with salt water" is not treating your sore. They’re hoping it goes away so they don’t have to think about it.
The rule is simple: any sore that hasn’t healed in 4 weeks needs a biopsy. Not a bigger tube of ointment. A biopsy. This is a 10-minute procedure, mostly billed as a preventive dermatology visit.
When to call your doctor
- Any skin sore lasting more than 4 weeks
- Any oral ulcer lasting more than 2 weeks
- Any genital sore lasting more than 3 weeks
- Sores that bleed, ooze, or scab repeatedly in the same spot
- A sore combined with numbness, tingling, or hardening of surrounding tissue
When to go to the ER
- Rapidly enlarging, bleeding, infected sore with fever
- Sudden severe pain or spreading redness (cellulitis)
If you're dismissed
The one-line ask: "This has been here more than 4 weeks. I want a biopsy." Most dermatologists will do it same-visit. PCPs often can too, and if they can’t, they’ll refer. For oral sores, ask a dentist as well as an MD — dentists catch a lot of early oral cancers because they’re looking.