Lung cancer symptoms are not always detectable initially by explicit symptoms, but are caught early usually through routine examinations. X-rays, blood tests and general health check-ups are the best ways to catch the growth of cancer cells early on. But with that said, what are the three main symptoms of lung cancer?
Lung Cancer Symptoms Awareness
One main lung cancer symptom is finding traces of blood in your spit or phlegm after coughing otherwise known as Hemoptysis. While this is not necessarily a sure symptom to diagnose cancer finding any blood in your phlegm is a definite sign that something is not right and you should go to a doctor after coughing up any amount of blood.
One fourth of all people with lung cancer have the symptom of persistent chest pains. This is a symptom for hundreds of other serious or non-serious conditions as well. The chest pains are sometimes described as a dull and persistent ache. This lung cancer symptom is often accompanied by a cough that you have had for a long time that has suddenly changed. Hoarsness and Wheezing when you breath that won’t go away with time can indicate a blockage or inflammation in your lungs. Coughing attacks that last longer than a few weeks should also be held suspect. Although these symptoms statistically aren’t likely to be lung cancer, it still should be checked out by a doctor since it could mean you are likely to have something like chronic bronchitis, pneumonia or some other less serious respiratory distress that you can easily treat.
Many advanced lung cancer patients have the lung cancer symptom of sudden vision problems. The patients often describe their vision as blurry. Other symptoms that accompany this include headaches, dizziness, seizures and other symptoms that usually otherwise indicate strokes, like weakness or loss of sensation in specific parts of the body and even seizures. This is usually an indicator that the cancer cells from the lungs have spread to the brain.
Some other, but not necessarily specific symptoms of lung cancer can include an intense feeling of fatigue or that you feel less powerful than before. You might notice that in recent times you are consistently losing weight over time and have noticeably lost your appetite for food. Some cases have reported an elevation in their body temperature for long periods of time. And some people over 40 years of age who are not responding to treatments for pneumonia have later found out that it was lung cancer all along.
Paraneoplastic syndromes can also be triggered by cancer even before malignancy. These are indirect effects of cancer not related to indirect invasion but by disturbances in the hormonal or immune system. These symptoms are sometimes marked by swelling in the neck and facial area, new bone formations along the lower legs or arms or sometimes the clubbing of fingers as a result of the depositing of extra tissue under the nails.
One fourth of all people with lung cancer, however, have no symptoms when the cancer is diagnosed. If the cancer is discovered at an early stage the chances of curing it is very good these days. So, the best two things you can do in regards to lung cancer is to not smoke and never to skip your regular health check ups!