Lung Cancer Symptoms | The symptoms of lung cancer depend to it's kind, location and the way of it's spread.
Common symptoms is persistent cough, Chronic bronchitis patients who suffer from lung cancer is often noticed that the cough is getting worse.
Sputum may contain blood.
If the cancer grows into the underlying blood vessels, can cause severe bleeding.
Cancer can cause wheezing sound, because the narrowing of the airways in or around the growth of cancer.
Bronchial obstruction can cause the collapse of the lungs which is a ramification of bronchus, the condition is called atelectasis
Another result is: pneumonia with symptoms such as cough, fever, chest pain and shortness of breath.
If the tumor grows into the chest wall, can cause persistent chest pain.
Lung cancer Symptoms that arise later is the loss of appetite, weight loss and weakness. Lung cancer often leads to accumulation of fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion), so that patients experiencing shortness of breath.
If the cancer spreads in the lungs, may develop severe shortness of breath, low blood oxygen levels and heart failure.
Cancer can grow into certain nerves in the neck, causing Horner's syndrome, which consists of:
- The closure of the eyelids
- A small pupil
- Sunken eyes
- Reduced perspiration on one side of the face.
Cancer in the top of the lungs can grow into the nerves to the arm so that the arm pain, numbness and weakness. Damage can also occur in the nerve cords so that people with a hoarse voice.
Cancer can grow directly into the esophagus, or growing near the throat and squeezed, resulting in swallowing disorders. Sometimes abnormal tract formed (fistula) between the esophagus and bronchi, causing severe coughing during swallowing process takes place, because food and liquid into the lungs.
Lung cancer may grow into the heart and causes:
- Abnormal heart rhythm
- Enlarged heart
- Accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sack.
Cancer also can grow around the superior vena cava. This causes blockage of venous blood flowing back upwards, ie into other veins of the upper part of the body:
- Vein in the chest wall will be enlarged
- Face, neck and upper chest wall (including breast) will swell up and appear purple.
This situation also causes shortness of breath, headache, visual disturbances, dizziness and drowsiness. Symptoms usually get worse if the patient bend forward or lie down.
Lung cancer can also spread through the bloodstream to the liver, brain, adrenal glands and bone. This can happen at an early stage, especially in small cell carcinoma. Symptoms of liver failure, confusion, seizures, and bone pain; that could arise before the occurrence of various disorders of the lung, so early diagnosis is difficult to enforce.
Some lung cancer cause effects at a distance from the lungs, such as metabolic disorders, nerve disorders and muscle disorders (paraneoplastic syndrome).
This syndrome is not related to the size and location of the cancer and does not necessarily indicate that the cancer has spread beyond the chest; syndrome is caused by the material released by cancer.
The symptoms can be an early sign of cancer or an early indication that the cancer had returned, after such treatment. One example of the paraneoplastic syndrome is the Eaton-Lambert syndrome, characterized by muscle weakness incredible. Another example is muscle weakness and pain due to inflammation (polymyositis), which may be accompanied by inflammation of the skin (dermatomyositis).
Some lung cancer or hormone releasing hormone-like material, resulting in high levels of hormones that. Small cell carcinoma producing corticotropin (causing Cushing's syndrome) or antidiuretic hormone (causing fluid retention and low sodium levels in the blood). Formation of excessive hormones can also cause carcinoid syndrome, namely in the form of redness, wheezing breath sounds, diarrhea and heart valve abnormalities. Squamous cell carcinoma releasing hormone-like material that causes very high blood calcium levels.
Other hormonal syndromes associated with lung cancer are:
- Breast enlargement in men (gynecomastia)
- Excess thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism)
- Skin changes (skin in the armpit become darker).
Lung cancer can also cause changes in the form of fingers and toes jkaki and changes at the end of long bones, which can be seen on x-rays.
