Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLung Cancer CoughOther SymptomsRisk FactorsDiagnosisWhen to Call Your Healthcare ProviderLung Cancer Screening
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Lung Cancer Cough
Other Symptoms
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
When to Call Your Healthcare Provider
Lung Cancer Screening
A lung cancer cough can be wet or dry. It may come in fits or spasms. In later stages, coughing may bring up blood or blood-tinged mucus. Lung cancer coughs are chronic, lasting two months or longer.
Much of the time, people with lung cancer experience othersigns and symptoms, like fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. There may also berisk factorsthat, if present, make it more likely that a cough may be due to lung cancer.
While lung cancer is certainly not the most commoncause of a chronic cough, it is a possibility. And it’s important to note that lung cancer can affect smokers andnever-smokersalike.
Since lung cancer is most treatable in its early stages, finding it as early as possible is critical. This is why it’s important to see your healthcare provider if you have a persistent cough.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
Characteristics of a Lung Cancer Cough
Smokers can develop a chronic cough, known as “smoker’s cough.” While not all cases of smoker’s cough are related to lung cancer, some may be.
Characteristics of a Smoker’s Cough
At least half of people diagnosed with lung cancer have achronic coughat the time of diagnosis.
This type of cough may:
Causes of Coughing up Blood
Other Lung Cancer Symptoms
The presence of additional symptoms may increase the likelihood that a chronic cough is due to lung cancer.
Studies have looked at people with lung cancer in order to determine what symptoms were present in the year prior to their diagnosis. This research found the following to be independently predictive of lung cancer.
Shortness of Breath
Early on, shortness of breath (dyspnea) is very subtle. It is often noted only with activity, such as climbing stairs. The symptom progressively gets worse over time.
Many people with lung cancer say that they first dismissed this symptom as being due to a sedentary lifestyle or simply growing older.
Causes of Shortness of Breath
Chest Pain
Many people mention that they feel lung pain before they are diagnosed with lung cancer.Pain that occurs with a deep breath, also called pleuritic chest pain or pleurisy, is also common among people who are later diagnosed with lung cancer.
Causes of Lung Pain and Treatment Options
Hoarseness
Some people experiencehoarsenessbefore their lung cancer diagnosis.
Why Does My Voice Sound Raspy?
Unexplained Weight Loss
Losing weight when you are not trying tomay be a symptom of lung cancer. Unintentional weight loss is defined as the loss of 5% of your body weight or more over a six- to 12-month period. That is roughly 7.5 pounds in a 150-pound person.
There are several other serious causes for this. You should always see your healthcare provider if your weight is dropping, even if you don’t mind the direction the scale is moving.
Causes of Unexplained Weight Loss
Respiratory Infections
But when lung tumors grow near the airways, they can cause an obstruction that raises the risk of these infections. Repeated infections such aspneumoniaandbronchitisare, in fact, common before lung cancer is diagnosed.
At times, someone may be treated for several episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia before a lung cancer diagnosis is finally made.
Spontaneous Smoking Cessation
It’s been found that a significant number of people with lung cancer reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke or spontaneously quit smoking prior to their diagnosis.
The reason behind this is unclear, but it may be related to trying to ease the symptom of coughing or a subconscious fear of developing lung cancer.
What’s interesting is that, oftentimes, very few symptoms of withdrawal occur.
It could be that some lung cancers produce chemicals that decrease the addictiveness of nicotine.
If you’ve never been able to quit smoking before, and it suddenly seems easy, talk to your healthcare provider.
Some risk factors for lung cancer—smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, for example—are well known. Others are not.
And for people who have smoked, having other risk factors may be more than additive. An example can help illustrate this:
The following are some risk factors of lung cancer to be aware of.
Smoking (Present or Past)
Certainly, smoking is a risk factor for developing lung cancer, with roughly 80% of people diagnosed having a history of smoking at some time.
However, 25% of people who are diagnosed with lung cancer today donotsmoke; they are either former smokers or have never smoked.
Unfortunately, unlike heart disease which drops precipitously when a person quits smoking, lung cancer risk never returns to normal.Even if you smoked in the distant past, make sure to mention this to your healthcare provider.
What Percentage of Smokers Get Lung Cancer?
Exposure to Radon
Exposure to radon in the home is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the leading cause in non-smokers. It’s thought that radon levels are elevated in one in 15 homes in the United States.
Get your hometested for radon, if you haven’t already.
According to the CDC over 62,000 women died of lung cancer in the U.S. in 2021.Each year, between 15,000 and 22,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer.Since women and children generally spend more time in the home than men, they are, theoretically, at greater risk.
Secondhand Smoke
It’s thought thatsecondhand smokeaccounts for around 7,000 cases of lung cancer in the United States each year.
Family History of Lung Cancer
A genetic predisposition to lung cancer can run in families.This is especially true when lung cancer is found in nonsmokers, in young people, and in women.
Having a mother, father, sibling, or child with a history of lung cancer increases your risk for developing the disease.
Is Lung Cancer Genetic?
Radiation to the Chest
Radiation therapy, such as for breast cancer or Hodgkin disease, increases your risk of developing lung cancer.
Job Exposures
Occupational exposureto chemicals and other substances, such as asbestos, diesel fuel, and more, may increase your lung cancer risk.
This type of exposure is considered a factor in about 3% of lung cancers in men.
Sometimes a chest X-ray will find lung cancer, but it’s possible that it won’t.
While chest X-rays were done to screen people for lung cancer in the past, it was found that they failed to detect the disease at an early enough stage to save lives.
A 2015 study done in Denmark found that many people had two or more “normal” chest X-rays in the 90-day period preceding their diagnosis of lung cancer.
Acomputerized tomography (CT) scanis needed if there is any concern.
As an added bonus, CT scans in the study subjects detected other lung diseases that had been missed on a plain chest X-ray.
It can’t be overstated thatchest X-rays can miss lung cancer. If you have any symptoms or signs of lung cancer,alwaysask for a chest CT.
What Is CT Lung Cancer Screening?
If you have a persistent cough—even if you have never smoked, do not have any other symptoms, or believe there is a good explanation for your cough—make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.
If your symptoms persist and you don’t have an explanation, consider getting asecond opinion. Many people with lung cancer say there was a long delay in their diagnosis, and some say that their initial healthcare providers didn’t take them seriously.
Lung Cancer Risk CalculatorIf you are between ages 50 and 75 and smoke or have a history of smoking, you can use Memorial Sloan Kettering’stool to assess your risk of lung cancer.Keep in mind that this is not a substitute for a medical evaluation. And as results are solely based on statistics, it may over- or underestimate your personal risk.
Lung Cancer Risk Calculator
If you are between ages 50 and 75 and smoke or have a history of smoking, you can use Memorial Sloan Kettering’stool to assess your risk of lung cancer.Keep in mind that this is not a substitute for a medical evaluation. And as results are solely based on statistics, it may over- or underestimate your personal risk.
If you are between ages 50 and 75 and smoke or have a history of smoking, you can use Memorial Sloan Kettering’stool to assess your risk of lung cancer.
Keep in mind that this is not a substitute for a medical evaluation. And as results are solely based on statistics, it may over- or underestimate your personal risk.
Should You Be Screened?
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening using a CT scan for people who:
The USPSTF advises stopping annual screening for people who have been smoke-free for 15 years or more, or who would not be able to tolerate treatment for lung cancer.
The American Cancer Society also recommends annual screening for current or former smokers in the same age group and pack-year history, but it does not place a time limit on when to stop screening.
A Word From Verywell
And if it turns out that you do have lung cancer, remember that each and every person deserves concern, compassion, and excellent medical care regardless of their smoking history.
The Lung Cancer Ribbon
19 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Molassiotis A, Smith JA, Mazzone P, Blackhall F, Irwin RS.Symptomatic treatment of cough among adult patients with lung cancer: CHEST guideline and expert panel report.Chest. 2017;151(4):861-874. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.12.028Silvestri RS, Weinberger SE.Patient education: Chronic cough in adults (beyond the basics).Gershman E, Guthrie R, Swiatek K, Shojaee S.Management of hemoptysis in patients with lung cancer.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(15):358. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.04.91National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) – Health Professional Version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer basics.Bosch X, Monclús E, Escoda O, et al.Unintentional weight loss: Clinical characteristics and outcomes in a prospective cohort of 2677 patients.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(4):e0175125. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175125Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer symptoms.Cataldo JK, Dubey S, Prochaska JJ.Smoking cessation: An integral part of lung cancer treatment.Oncology. 2010;78(5-6):289-301. doi:10.1159/000319937Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer risk factors.American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.American Lung Association.Lung cancer trends brief: Mortality.National Cancer Institute.Radon and cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About secondhand smoke.Kanwal M, Ding X-J, Cao Y.Familial risk for lung cancer.Oncol Lett. 2017;13(2):535-542. doi:10.3892/ol.2016.5518Villeneuve PJ, Parent MÉ, Harris SA, Johnson KC.Occupational exposure to asbestos and lung cancer in men: Evidence from a population-based case-control study in eight Canadian provinces.BMC Cancer. 2012;12:595. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-12-595Guldbrandt L.The effect of direct referral for fast CT scan in early lung cancer detection in general practice. A clinical, cluster-randomised trial.Danish Medical Journal. 2015;62(3):pii:B5027. doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1941-2Friedemann Smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, Wardle J.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(1):50-81. doi:10.3322/caac.21811Additional ReadingIven-Omofoman B, Tata LJ, Baldwin DR, Smith CJP, Hubbard RB.Using socio-demographic and early clinical features in general practice to identify people with lung cancer earlier.Thorax. 2013. 68(5):451-9. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202348
19 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Molassiotis A, Smith JA, Mazzone P, Blackhall F, Irwin RS.Symptomatic treatment of cough among adult patients with lung cancer: CHEST guideline and expert panel report.Chest. 2017;151(4):861-874. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.12.028Silvestri RS, Weinberger SE.Patient education: Chronic cough in adults (beyond the basics).Gershman E, Guthrie R, Swiatek K, Shojaee S.Management of hemoptysis in patients with lung cancer.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(15):358. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.04.91National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) – Health Professional Version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer basics.Bosch X, Monclús E, Escoda O, et al.Unintentional weight loss: Clinical characteristics and outcomes in a prospective cohort of 2677 patients.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(4):e0175125. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175125Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer symptoms.Cataldo JK, Dubey S, Prochaska JJ.Smoking cessation: An integral part of lung cancer treatment.Oncology. 2010;78(5-6):289-301. doi:10.1159/000319937Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer risk factors.American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.American Lung Association.Lung cancer trends brief: Mortality.National Cancer Institute.Radon and cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About secondhand smoke.Kanwal M, Ding X-J, Cao Y.Familial risk for lung cancer.Oncol Lett. 2017;13(2):535-542. doi:10.3892/ol.2016.5518Villeneuve PJ, Parent MÉ, Harris SA, Johnson KC.Occupational exposure to asbestos and lung cancer in men: Evidence from a population-based case-control study in eight Canadian provinces.BMC Cancer. 2012;12:595. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-12-595Guldbrandt L.The effect of direct referral for fast CT scan in early lung cancer detection in general practice. A clinical, cluster-randomised trial.Danish Medical Journal. 2015;62(3):pii:B5027. doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1941-2Friedemann Smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, Wardle J.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(1):50-81. doi:10.3322/caac.21811Additional ReadingIven-Omofoman B, Tata LJ, Baldwin DR, Smith CJP, Hubbard RB.Using socio-demographic and early clinical features in general practice to identify people with lung cancer earlier.Thorax. 2013. 68(5):451-9. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202348
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Molassiotis A, Smith JA, Mazzone P, Blackhall F, Irwin RS.Symptomatic treatment of cough among adult patients with lung cancer: CHEST guideline and expert panel report.Chest. 2017;151(4):861-874. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.12.028Silvestri RS, Weinberger SE.Patient education: Chronic cough in adults (beyond the basics).Gershman E, Guthrie R, Swiatek K, Shojaee S.Management of hemoptysis in patients with lung cancer.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(15):358. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.04.91National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) – Health Professional Version.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer basics.Bosch X, Monclús E, Escoda O, et al.Unintentional weight loss: Clinical characteristics and outcomes in a prospective cohort of 2677 patients.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(4):e0175125. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175125Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer symptoms.Cataldo JK, Dubey S, Prochaska JJ.Smoking cessation: An integral part of lung cancer treatment.Oncology. 2010;78(5-6):289-301. doi:10.1159/000319937Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer risk factors.American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.American Lung Association.Lung cancer trends brief: Mortality.National Cancer Institute.Radon and cancer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About secondhand smoke.Kanwal M, Ding X-J, Cao Y.Familial risk for lung cancer.Oncol Lett. 2017;13(2):535-542. doi:10.3892/ol.2016.5518Villeneuve PJ, Parent MÉ, Harris SA, Johnson KC.Occupational exposure to asbestos and lung cancer in men: Evidence from a population-based case-control study in eight Canadian provinces.BMC Cancer. 2012;12:595. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-12-595Guldbrandt L.The effect of direct referral for fast CT scan in early lung cancer detection in general practice. A clinical, cluster-randomised trial.Danish Medical Journal. 2015;62(3):pii:B5027. doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1941-2Friedemann Smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, Wardle J.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(1):50-81. doi:10.3322/caac.21811
Molassiotis A, Smith JA, Mazzone P, Blackhall F, Irwin RS.Symptomatic treatment of cough among adult patients with lung cancer: CHEST guideline and expert panel report.Chest. 2017;151(4):861-874. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.12.028
Silvestri RS, Weinberger SE.Patient education: Chronic cough in adults (beyond the basics).
Gershman E, Guthrie R, Swiatek K, Shojaee S.Management of hemoptysis in patients with lung cancer.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(15):358. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.04.91
National Cancer Institute.Non-small cell lung cancer treatment (PDQ) – Health Professional Version.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer basics.
Bosch X, Monclús E, Escoda O, et al.Unintentional weight loss: Clinical characteristics and outcomes in a prospective cohort of 2677 patients.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(4):e0175125. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175125
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer symptoms.
Cataldo JK, Dubey S, Prochaska JJ.Smoking cessation: An integral part of lung cancer treatment.Oncology. 2010;78(5-6):289-301. doi:10.1159/000319937
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lung cancer risk factors.
American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.
American Lung Association.Lung cancer trends brief: Mortality.
National Cancer Institute.Radon and cancer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About secondhand smoke.
Kanwal M, Ding X-J, Cao Y.Familial risk for lung cancer.Oncol Lett. 2017;13(2):535-542. doi:10.3892/ol.2016.5518
Villeneuve PJ, Parent MÉ, Harris SA, Johnson KC.Occupational exposure to asbestos and lung cancer in men: Evidence from a population-based case-control study in eight Canadian provinces.BMC Cancer. 2012;12:595. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-12-595
Guldbrandt L.The effect of direct referral for fast CT scan in early lung cancer detection in general practice. A clinical, cluster-randomised trial.Danish Medical Journal. 2015;62(3):pii:B5027. doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1941-2
Friedemann Smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, Wardle J.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117
Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(1):50-81. doi:10.3322/caac.21811
Iven-Omofoman B, Tata LJ, Baldwin DR, Smith CJP, Hubbard RB.Using socio-demographic and early clinical features in general practice to identify people with lung cancer earlier.Thorax. 2013. 68(5):451-9. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202348
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
