What are the common symptoms of lung cancer

The clinical manifestations of lung cancer vary. In the early stage, there may be no symptoms and it is only found in chest X-ray examination. In the late stage, the symptoms are more and more complicated. Generally speaking, central lung cancer has earlier and more symptoms, while peripheral lung cancer has later and fewer symptoms. It can be divided into three types: local, extrapulmonary and metastatic symptoms. The most common symptoms are:

1. Cough is the most common symptom of lung cancer, which is usually an irritating dry cough with no sputum or a little white mucus sputum. Cough is often a symptom caused by tumors involving the bronchi at all levels.

2. Bloody sputum is the most typical symptom of lung cancer, which is usually bloody sputum or blood in sputum. Bloody sputum is caused by cancer invading the micro-blood vessels of the bronchial mucosa, and is often mixed with detached cancer cells. The positive rate of sputum cytology examination is high.

3. Chest tightness and pain In the early stage, it only manifests as mild chest tightness. When the tumor involves the parietal pleura or directly invades the chest wall, it can cause constant and persistent pain in this area.

4. Shortness of breath Tumor blocking the bronchus and causing obstructive pneumonia or atelectasis is one of the causes of shortness of breath in lung cancer. The degree of shortness of breath varies with the extent of the obstruction. Malignant pleural effusion caused by pleural dissemination of lung cancer is also a cause of shortness of breath. In addition, diffuse alveolar carcinoma leads to interstitial lung disease, which can cause shortness of breath due to insufficient ventilation. In severe cases, it can cause difficult-to-treat breathing difficulties.

5. Fever Obstructive pneumonia is the main cause of fever in lung cancer. This type of fever is characterized by prolonged and repeated symptoms, which are sometimes good and sometimes bad and difficult to cure. In addition, fever can also be caused by cancer toxins or bone marrow metastasis.

6. Non-specific systemic symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, and cachexia in the late stage.

From the above description, we can see that the symptoms of lung cancer are not specific and are similar to the clinical manifestations of many respiratory diseases. Therefore, the key to diagnosing lung cancer based on symptoms is vigilance against lung cancer. If respiratory symptoms persist for more than two weeks without treatment, we should be highly vigilant about the possibility of lung cancer.