Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFrequent SymptomsLess Common SymptomsComplication-Related SymptomsSub-GroupsWhen to Seek Medical CareFAQNext in Lung Cancer GuideHow Lung Cancer Is Diagnosed
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Frequent Symptoms
Less Common Symptoms
Complication-Related Symptoms
Sub-Groups
When to Seek Medical Care
FAQ
Next in Lung Cancer Guide
The signs and symptoms oflung cancerinclude a cough that won’t go away, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood. Lung cancer can also cause a hoarse voice, back pain, and other less common symptoms.
Each patient with lung cancer is different. The symptoms that a person has can vary depending on a person’s sex, age, and smoking status.
Anyone can get lung cancer, but since not everyone gets checked for it, knowing the signs of the disease can help you get diagnosed and start treatment sooner.
This article covers the signs and symptoms of lung cancer. It also discusses complications of lung cancer.
Verywell / Julie Bang
Get the Facts About Lung Cancer
However, if you have these symptoms, you should not ignore them:
Persistent Cough
A cough that does not go away (persistent cough) is the most common symptom of lung cancer. It usually lasts longer than a few weeks. Around 50% of people have a persistent cough when they are diagnosed with lung cancer.
The cough can:
How Lung Cancer Happens
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath, also calleddyspnea, can vary with some people experiencing it with physical activity and others experiencing it while resting.Shortness of breath is often described as a feeling of being “hungry for air.”
Feeling short of breath during activity can easily be chalked up to getting older, being out of shape, or being overweight.
You might not recognize that you’re short of breath at first. You might just notice that doing things like going up several flights of stairs or having sex leaves you winded. You might also find yourself blaming the humidity or other factors for your shortness of breath.
Lung Cancer in People Who Never Smoked
Repeated Infections
It’s common for someone to discover that they have lung cancer after being treated for repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia.If a tumor is located near an airway, it blocks it and makes these infections more likely.
If you have recurrent chest infections, your provider can run some tests. One test, called chest computed tomography (chestCT scan) can help spot lung cancer. It’s better than achest X-ray, which canmiss lung cancerup to 25% of the time.
What Does It Mean to Have a Shadow on the Lung?
Coughing Up Blood
Coughing up blood(hemoptysis) is a common symptom of lung cancer. It occurs in about a fifth of lung cancer patients. In some cases, it’s the first symptom a person has.
Coughing up blood might sound like something that would be hard to miss, but it isn’t always extreme. A person could easily miss or ignore a small spot of blood on a tissue.
Even if it starts out mild, coughing up blood can quickly get serious. If you’ve coughed up a few teaspoons of blood, you need medical care right away.
Shoulder and Arm Pain
Tumors in the upper parts of the lungs are calledPancoast tumors. They can cause pain in the shoulder that spreads down the arm toward the pinky finger.Pancoast tumors often don’t come with typical lung cancer symptoms. Instead, symptoms may include muscle weakness, tingling, loss of sensation, facial flushing, and excessive facial sweating.
Pancoast tumors are also hard to see on imaging tests, which means the diagnosis usually takes a long time.
How Long Does Lung Cancer Take to Develop?
Chest Pain
Chest paincan feel different to different people. Some people say it feels more likelung pain, while others say they havepain when taking a deep breath. This symptom is common even in the early stage of lung cancer.
The lungs do not have pain fibers, but the lung lining (pleura) and structures around the lungs do have nerve endings. That’s why the pain feels like it’s coming from the lungs even though it’s not.
“Referred pain” is the term used to describe pain that starts in one part of the body but is felt somewhere else. You may have referred pain in your lungs from another organ.
Back Pain
Back painis easy to miss because there are many more common reasons for back pain.
Back pain from lung cancer is usually:
What Other Cancers Can Cause Back Pain?
Cancers that may cause back pain include:
Back pain becomes a symptom when the cancer has metastasized (spread) to an area near or in the spine or the tumor is putting pressure on the spine.
Primary vs. Secondary Lung Cancer: What’s the Difference?
Fatigue
Feeling tired all of the time is a frequent complaint of people with lung cancer. So-called “cancer fatigue” is different from feeling tired. Some people describe it as whole-body fatigue or even exhaustion. This kind of tiredness doesn’t get better after a good night’s sleep or a cup of coffee.
Cancer-related fatigue is difficult to treat, but some research indicates alternative remedies and physical exercise may be some of the most effective ways to improve fatigue at any stage of lung cancer.
Unexplained Weight Loss
Losing weight without trying and without a clear reason is defined as losing 5% of your body weight or more than 10 pounds in six to 12 months.Unintentional weight losshappens to 35% to 75% of people with lung cancerbefore they get diagnosed.
Cancer causes weight loss in a few ways, such as causing loss of appetite and changing the body’s metabolism.
There are also some symptoms of lung cancer that are not very common, such as:
Hoarseness
Lung cancer can cause you to have a hoarse-sounding voice. There are a couple of reasons why this can happen.
Possible Causes of a Hoarse Voice
Wheezing
There is a saying that “all that wheezes is not asthma.” It’s good to keep that in mind, as lung cancer can also cause wheezing.
Wheezing related to lung cancer tends not to be generalized like it is with asthma. In fact, people are often able to describe where the wheezing starts in their lungs (localized wheezing).
Causes of Wheezing
Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Some lung cancers release hormone-like substances that can cause certain symptoms. When this group of symptoms happens, it’s called paraneoplastic syndrome.
Paraneoplastic syndromes occur in around 10% to 20% of people with lung cancer. It’s most common in people withsmall cell lung cancer. The syndrome can start before the symptoms of the disease do.
There are many paraneoplastic syndromes and each can cause a variety of symptoms. Two common paraneoplastic syndromes include:
All About Paraneoplastic Syndromes
A “Gut Feeling”
Fromknee painto fatigue, the list of potential signs of lung cancer is long. However, an important one that doesn’t have a medical name is your intuition.
Many people recall that before their diagnosis they had a “gut feeling” that something was wrong.
If you feel “off” or “wrong” about your health and wellbeing,don’t ignore it. Talk to your healthcare provider—even if it’s just for reassurance and peace of mind.
Early Lung Cancer Signs You Should Never Ignore
Complications of lung cancer usually happen after a person is diagnosed. However, they can also pop up before a diagnosis is made and might even be the first clue that cancer is present.
Face and Neck Swelling
Lung cancer tumors can press on the large blood vessel that returns blood to the heart from the upper part of the body (superior vena cava).
When this happens, it causes the blood flow to that vein to become fully or partially blocked. This is calledsuperior vena cava (SVC) syndrome.
If the blood flow is blocked, pressure builds up in the areas the vein is supposed to drain blood away from. This can cause swelling of the face, neck, and arms. A person may also have veins in the neck and chest that look bigger than normal (dilated).
Symptoms Related to Cancer Spread
Lung cancer is often diagnosed after it has already spread to other parts of the body. The most common places where lung cancer spreads are the brain, the bones, the liver, and the adrenal glands.
When cancer has spread, a person might have symptoms such as:
Where Lung Cancer Is Most Likely to Spread
Blood Clots
Blood clots are common in people with lung cancer.Though cancer treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy are known to increase this risk, these clots can happen before lung cancer is diagnosed.
Possible signs of a blood clot include:
Blood Clots and Cancer
Just as the symptoms of heart disease in women differ from those in men, the symptoms of lung cancer can also differ. Similarly, the symptoms of lung cancer in never-smokers and young adults can be different.
The most common type of lung cancer in these groups is the main reason that they have different symptoms.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
One example issquamouscell carcinoma. This type of lung cancer grows in the large airways instead of at the outer edges of the lungs.
Men are more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma than women. They may experience more obvious prominent symptoms early on in the disease.
Lung Cancer In Young People: How It’s Different
Lung Adenocarcinoma
Another example islungadenocarcinoma. It is the most common type of lung cancer overall. It’s also most common in women, young adults, and people who do not smoke.
These cancers usually happen in the outer regions of the lungs. They can grow very big before causing symptoms.
The first symptom ofadenocarcinomais often shortness of breath because the tumor takes over lung tissue. People may also have symptoms like fatigue or loss of appetite that don’t seem to have a clear cause.
Lung cancers in these groups are diagnosed at later stages for a couple of reasons:
Lung Cancer Symptoms, Types, and What to Know
When to Get Medical Care
There is often a long delay between when a person starts having symptoms and when they get diagnosed with lung cancer.
If you have risk factors for lung cancer, knowing the signs and symptoms is important. Tell your healthcare provider about them right away if they appear.
If you have symptoms but have never smoked before, you might not think you’re at risk for lung cancer. However, 10% to 20% of people who develop lung cancer have never smoked. Lung cancer in never-smokers is the 7th-leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women worldwide.
Which Countries Have the Highest Rate of Lung Cancer?
Candidates for Lung Cancer Screening
If you have lung cancer symptoms, your provider will want to check to see if you have it. That said, you might be able to have a lung cancer screening even if you don’t have any symptoms.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening with a chest CT for people who:
Some guidelines vary. The American Cancer Society, for example, recommends screening even if it’s been more than 15 years since you quit smoking. So talk with your healthcare provider about whether screening is the right option for you.
Screening is also beneficial for people withrisk factors for lung cancer, such asradon exposure, occupational exposure, and afamily historyof the disease.
Should You Get Screened for Lung Cancer?
Summary
The signs and symptoms of lung cancer can be related to the lungs or other organs. Some of the early symptoms are common and can have other causes that are not cancer. People may not realize that something is wrong because they assume that a cough that won’t go away or back pain is from allergies or a pulled muscle.
If the cancer has spread, symptoms that come from different body symptoms can show up. For example, a person with lung cancer that’s spread to the brain might have headaches.
Complications of lung cancer usually happen after a person finds out they have cancer. Sometimes, complications happen sooner and might be what leads to a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Frequently Asked QuestionsBack pain related to lung cancer is usually felt in the middle to upper back. Tumors can spread to thethoracic spineor other bones and cause pain. They can also irritate nerves in the back.It’s also possible to have pain in the lower (lumbar) region of the back, depending on how the tumors press on the spine.Womenare more likely to have lung adenocarcinoma.The symptoms of this type of lung cancer include:FatigueBack or shoulder painShortness of breathNo. As lung cancer tumors grow, they can put pressure on the spine and chest. At first, there is little pain because there are very few nerve endings in the lungs.If lung cancer spreads to the bones, it can cause more pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Back pain related to lung cancer is usually felt in the middle to upper back. Tumors can spread to thethoracic spineor other bones and cause pain. They can also irritate nerves in the back.It’s also possible to have pain in the lower (lumbar) region of the back, depending on how the tumors press on the spine.
Womenare more likely to have lung adenocarcinoma.The symptoms of this type of lung cancer include:FatigueBack or shoulder painShortness of breath
Womenare more likely to have lung adenocarcinoma.The symptoms of this type of lung cancer include:
No. As lung cancer tumors grow, they can put pressure on the spine and chest. At first, there is little pain because there are very few nerve endings in the lungs.If lung cancer spreads to the bones, it can cause more pain.
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