What are the signs of lung cancer?
- Persistent and worsening cough
- Chest pain and infections
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of appetite and weight
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the world. One of the best ways to combat this is to be more informed about it.
Lung cancer does not always show symptoms at an early stage. Symptoms most often show up when the condition is worsening or the cancer is spreading, but there are some cases when lung cancer is detected early because of the onset of symptoms. To increase your chances of catching it early, you should be aware of the signs of lung cancer so that you know when to consult a doctor, especially if you’re high-risk for the disease.
Smokers are the most at risk for lung cancer. Smoking introduces carcinogens directly to your lungs, contributing to the growth and spread of cancer cells. Quitting smoking, even when you’ve been a long-time smoker, will drastically lower your chances of getting lung cancer. However, the disease is not limited to smokers and even people who have never smoked in their life can develop this cancer.
What makes lung cancer difficult to notice is that its symptoms are very common. This means that you should let a doctor diagnose you when you get these symptoms because it can be from a different disease entirely. To keep you informed and prepared, we’ve created a list of symptoms of lung cancer for you to look out for:
Persistent and worsening cough
One of the most telling and obvious symptoms of lung cancer is a persistent and worsening cough. However, it’s also very common and could be caused by any of a large number of diseases. For lung cancer, a cough that doesn’t go away for a long time and consistently gets worse is a warning sign. If you already have a chronic cough, take note of any changes.
The sign is even more telling as it can cause you to spit up blood or rust-colored spit or phlegm. It’s time to consult your doctor if the cough:
- Is hoarse
- Produces blood
- Does not go away
- Keeps worsening over time
- Happens more
- Creates lots of mucus
Your doctor will most likely order an x-ray and other tests to come up with a diagnosis.
Chest pain and infections
Lung cancer patients may experience occasional chest pain, especially when they’re breathing deeply, laughing, or coughing. This may be caused by the tumor pressing on your nerves in the chest. It may also be caused by enlarged lymph nodes or worse if it has already metastasized to your chest wall. Like coughs, chest pain can have other common causes as well.
With lung cancer, you’ll also notice that you’ll get chest infections more often. You might get bronchitis or pneumonia that keeps recurring or doesn’t go away.
Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath can be caused by something blocking or narrowing your airways, like a tumor, or fluid in your lungs because of cancer. If you start getting easily winded after activities that you normally find easy to do, like climbing up the stairs or walking to the fridge, take note of that and check yourself for other symptoms.
Loss of appetite and weight
As the symptoms of lung cancer come and affect your body, you might start losing your appetite. This may be a result of hyper-metabolism caused by increased levels of inflammation mediators in your body. Another theory is that the weight loss comes from the cancer cells using the energy in your body.
Lung cancer can take a lot out of a person. As the disease runs its course, you might feel weak, lose appetite and lose some weight. Anorexia is the medical term for the loss of appetite and cachexia is the medical term for malnutrition due to illness. These two can come together and become Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome (CACS). Unfortunately, around 60% of patients would have already experienced weight loss before getting diagnosed.
Never ignore a sudden change in body weight when you haven’t been actively trying to lose weight or changing your eating pattern. It could be an indicator that something’s wrong with your health.
Key Takeaway
Other than these four, there are still other symptoms out there to watch out for. When you notice the signs of lung cancer happening to your body, don’t panic. The first thing to do is to consult your doctor to confirm whether it is cancer or something else. You should also remember that cancer is treatable, and many patients have lived out their lives after winning the battle against cancer. As long as you receive treatment as soon as possible, your chances of survival will go up.
Another way to survive cancer is by going to a hospital that has enough expertise on the subject. At the Perpetual Help Medical Center, we offer comprehensive cancer care by our team of experienced medical oncologists, hematologists, surgeons, and others. If you have any medical concerns, just visit the hospital at Alabang-Zapote Rd., Pamplona III, Las Pinas City, or contact us online!