Symptoms of lung cancer
Let us tackle the topic on symptoms of lung cancer.
It should be known that cough is the most common symptom of lung cancer. It is present in 50-75 percent of lung cancer patients.
The two (2) types of lung cancer (squamous cell and small cell carcinomas) are likely to produce cough because of their tendency to involve central airways
Hemoptysis or coughing of blood is present in 15 to 30 percent of patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer. This is because cancer cells have tendency to erode blood vessels in the lungs thus causing hemoptysis
Chest pain is another symptom of lung cancer. Forty (40) percent of patients with lung cancer can present with chest pain. A younger patient more often complains of chest pain than an older patient. The Pain is usually present on the side of the chest where the cancer is located.
Dyspnea is also a sign of lung cancer. Dyspnea is difficulty of breathing and is a common symptom in lung cancer patients occurring in approximately 25 to 40 percent of cases.
Dyspnea is caused by airway obstruction of tumor preventing air from going to the functional unit of lungs.
Hoarseness of the voice is another lung cancer symptom. A lung cancer patient may develop hoarseness of voice due to destruction of recurrent laryngeal nerve – the nerve responsible for producing voice.
Pleural Effusions (water in the lungs) will occur in a patient with lung cancer due to the obstruction of blood and lymphatic vessels in the lungs causing fluid to collect in the thoracic cavity. Pleural effusion is associated with advance disease therefore associated with poor prognosis.
Cachexia is a condition where a lung cancer patient experiences weight loss because of poor appetite and higher metabolism than a non-cancer patient. Cancer cells compared to normal cells are several times faster in catabolizing nutrient, depriving normal cells of needed nutrients.
Paraneoplastic syndrome is a remote effect of tumor that is not directly related to its invasion, metastasis or obstruction. Examples of paraneoplastic syndrome are the following:
1. hypercalcemia or elevated calcium in the blood.
Hypercalcemia is due to the ability of tumor to produce hormones that stimulate release of calcium in the bones to the blood.
2. Anemia is also reported among lung cancer patient. This anemia is due to the production of auto antibodies by the cancer cells against the red blood cells, causing premature destructions of red blood.
3. Hypercoagulable disorder – hypercoagulable disorders can cause stroke when blood clots travels to the brain, heart attack when it travels to your heart artery or pulmonary embolism when it clogs your pulmonary artery.