Lung Cancer Symptoms

The most common indicators and symptoms of lung cancer include the following:

Fatigue

Shortness of breath and wheezing (dyspnoea)

A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time

Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis

Constant chest pain

Coughing up blood (bloody sputum) (haemoptysis)

Swelling of the neck and face

Fever

Loss of appetite and weight loss (anorexia)

Hoarse voice

Other symptoms that can now and then occur with lung cancer include repeated bouts of pneumonia, changes in the shape of the fingertips, and swollen or enlarged lymph nodes (glands) in the upper chest and lower neck. Any and all of these symptoms may be caused by lung cancer or by a range of other medical conditions. That is, the presence of one or more of these symptoms does not automatically mean that you have lung cancer.

In addition, at the early stage of many cancers, there may be few symptoms or even no symptoms at all. Unfortunately, just because you have few if any obvious symptoms, it does not mean that you do not have cancer. The cancer may be spreading in silence, making it difficult to control, treat or remove when the cancer is later discovered.

Early detection and diagnosis is very important for successful treatment of all cancers.

To help find the cause for these symptoms, a doctor will to begin with discuss and appraise the patient's medical history, whether they have ever smoked, any exposure they may have had to environmental and occupational substances, and if there is a family history of cancer. Depending on how this evaluation goes, the doctor may then go on to carry out other tests to determine if there is any other cause to explain away the symptoms.

When our lungs are not able to operate effectively, for example, when they are affected by disease, then we experience shortness of breath. If the lungs are seriously compromised or damaged by disease or injury, then the lack of oxygen in the blood can cause not only brain damage, but also damage to other body organs, and even death. It's obvious our lungs are vitally important for us to live a normal, healthy, active life.

If the symptoms are caused by lung cancer, then the outlook can be bleak for a variety of reasons. For a start, the lungs will operate less efficiently, and this will cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and similar symptoms. In more extreme cases, if enough of the lung tissue is damaged by the cancer, then more severe symptoms, or even death, may result.

Various other symptoms may occur if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. That is, if there is metastasis. Lung cancer can spread to the liver, the brain, or the bones, with the following possible symptoms for each area:

Brain: headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting, weakness

Liver: stomach pain (especially the right side), jaundice

Bones: bone pain

In addition to the symptoms of lung cancer, also be on the lookout for these or any other unusual or abnormal symptoms, and obtain medical advice as soon as possible.

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