Early Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer You Need to Know

Lung cancer is one of the most fatal and deadly medical conditions, and it is also the most common cancer that is acquired by the maximum number of people, and especially women. Lung cancer generally claims the lives of more women every year than breast or uterine cancer, hence the dangerous fatality it represents. Lung cancer is a condition which is very rarely detectable in the early stages. It does not show any severe symptoms in the earlier days when the condition is just setting in on the body. After cancer advances into the more complicated and final stages, the symptoms and the signs set in and can be seen by the individual getting affected.

Difficulty in knowing the signs:

The thing with lung cancer is that the problem it poses is, it cannot be detected in the early stages of setting it. Moreover, there are not even any solutions for it, which means that there are not any screening tests or any tests that will determine the fact that the cancer is present or is advancing in the body of the individual. So, the only time it can be diagnosed, and detected is when it is in the advanced stages, and by then cancer spreads to other parts of the body, which then becomes harder to treat. However, the best recommendation that doctors give now is to take a low dose CT scan, in order to determine and make sure whether or not an individual has lung cancer or not.

The symptoms to look out for:

Though lung cancer is not easily detectable, it still has some ways and signs of determining whether or not the possibility of cancer establishing its place in an individual's body is there or not. Some very important signs and symptoms to look out for are mentioned below.

Common Symptoms

So, there are a lot many common, easily identifiable signs and symptoms that come along with the setting in of lung cancer in the body of an individual as given below:

• The cough from a cold, or viral fever, or from any short-lived disease for that matter that should quit in a week or two, but stays for a longer time; there is a situation when a cough that is persistent enough, stays. It stays even after a month or so and does not quit. This is a very important sign and should not be ignored after a prolonged time.
• Another important symptom with coughing, and especially if you are a chain smoker, this symptom should not be ignored. Many times, a chronic cough may end up with you spitting blood every time you cough, or it is a very rough and coarse cough, either way, it should be consulted with and asked from a doctor.
• Breathlessness or wheezing, or feeling out of breath very often might be a very important symptom, since the cancer cells and the tumor or the blockages caused can restrict airflow and block passages, making it difficult to breathe.
• Many times, lung cancers might produce pain, in the chest area, or the back or on the shoulders and it might happen very often. It can also be confined to an area in the chest or can be the entirety of the chest as well. That should be duly noted and then reported to the doctor so that the problems faced can be rectified and fast, with the proper diagnosis.
• Hoarseness, or coarseness of the voice, or maybe a change in the voice to it being deeper or raspier than usual is also a common symptom. It happens because of the nodules and the tumor of the cancer cells affect the larynx, and hence, the vocal output comes out to be deeper and rougher than the individual's normal voice. It should not be passed off as a cold. It should be checked.
• A sudden change, and drop in the weight of the body is something that will take place almost rapidly. Why does this happen? This generally happens when the cancer cells are using most of the bodily energy that is created to multiply and generate more tumors across the body. This should be diagnosed and checked carefully with a doctor. It can be lung cancer, or it can even be some other kind of cancer as well. Be sure to check before it worsens.
• Headaches which are the frequent and painful are a result of the condition when the cancer cells start entering the brain of the individual. Many times, many people pass off the headaches as something minimal and end up getting advanced and serious cancer. It generally happens when the cancer cells and the tumor restrict blood flow from the heart to the upper half of the body.
• Many times, pneumonia or similar infections and conditions or short-lived diseases might keep on coming back and affecting the body, and this can also be a crucial symptom, since the cancer cells might induce the rate of infections in the lungs, which in turn affects the diseases and gives them an opportunity to come back time and again. Such things should be diagnosed thoroughly without any fail.

Advanced Symptoms

The advanced symptoms are more serious, noticeable, and cannot be passed off at any degree by an individual as a chronic occurrence. Some of the symptoms displayed are:

• Many times, while laying down especially, the back or the shoulders or the hips are painful, especially the bones of the body. This happens very often and is very common for advanced symptom as this determines the fact that the cancer cells have reached the bones and this should be checked, and proper measures should be taken with the help of a doctor.
• Yellowing of the eyes and the skin can also be a result of cancer spreading to the liver of the individual. This might not be jaundice and should not be treated like jaundice. It should first be diagnosed properly and then judged based on the decision of the doctor.
• Nervous system breakdowns are common when cancer is setting in or is in the advanced stage. Numbness of feet, dizziness, or even losing balance, are all serious symptoms that are showcased by the cancer cells when they spread to the brain or the spinal cord. This should be checked with and immediately asked the doctor.
• Horner's syndrome is also a condition, where the upper part of the lungs get affected, which in turn affects the eyes and the facial features of the person, like drooping of the eyelids, patched sweating on different sides of the face, smaller pupils, and also severe, uncontrollable shoulder pains.

However, the symptoms that are mentioned above might or might not even be lung cancer, and there may be no need to worry about the treatment for lung cancer. Often times, many cancers show their specific different symptoms. Hence, whenever something changes in the body that does not seem regular, it is better to consult a doctor rather than assuring one's self.