Lung cancer symptoms collection

The symptoms of lung cancer are closely related to its location, size, type, stage of development, and the presence or absence of complications or metastasis. 5%-15% of patients have no symptoms when lung cancer is discovered. The main symptoms include the following aspects.

1. Symptoms caused by the primary tumor

1. Cough, hemoptysis or bloody sputum, chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and fever are typical symptoms of advanced lung cancer.

2. The cancer itself or distant metastasis causes corresponding compression symptoms. For example, if the recurrent laryngeal nerve is compressed, the voice will be hoarse; if the superior vena cava is compressed, neck edema, congestion in the anterior chest, varicose veins, and breathing difficulties may occur; if the cervical sympathetic nerve is compressed, the pupil on the same side may constrict, the upper eyelid may droop, and sweat less on the forehead may occur; if the brachial plexus is compressed, severe pain and paresthesia may occur in the ipsilateral shoulder joint and the inner side of the upper limb. Cancer cells often metastasize to the supraclavicular lymph nodes, brain, bones, liver, and other parts of the body, manifesting as central nervous system dysfunction, bone pain, and liver dysfunction, such as lymphadenopathy, limb twitching, and difficulty walking.

3. Extrapulmonary manifestations such as dermatomyositis, acanthosis nigricans, clubbing of fingers (toes), gynecomastia, Cushing's syndrome, etc. are mostly caused by special hormones, antigens and enzymes produced by cancer cells.

2. Symptoms of lung cancer caused by local tumor expansion

(I) Chest pain About 30% of tumors directly invade the pleura, ribs and chest wall, which can cause varying degrees of chest pain. If the tumor is located near the pleura, it will produce irregular dull pain or pain, which will be aggravated by breathing or coughing. When the ribs and spine are invaded, there will be tender points, which are not related to breathing or coughing. The tumor compresses the intercostal nerves, and the chest pain can affect their distribution area.

(ii) Dyspnea Tumor compresses the large airways, which may cause inspiratory dyspnea

(III) Dysphagia: Cancer invasion or compression of the esophagus can cause dysphagia, and may also cause bronchoesophageal fistula, leading to lung infection.

(IV) Hoarseness Hoarseness may occur when the cancer directly compresses the recurrent laryngeal nerve (mostly on the left side) or when the cancer metastasizes to the mediastinal lymph nodes and then compresses them.

(V) Superior vena cava obstruction syndrome: When the tumor invades the mediastinum and compresses the superior vena cava, the return of blood from the superior vena cava is blocked, causing edema of the head, face, neck, and upper limbs, as well as congestion and varicose veins in the chest, which can cause headaches, dizziness, or vertigo.

(VI) Horner syndrome: Lung cancer located at the apex of the lung is called Pancoast cancer, which can compress the sympathetic nerves in the neck, causing ptosis of the eyelid, pupil constriction, and enophthalmos on the affected side, with little or no sweating on the forehead and chest wall on the same side. Tumors often compress the brachial plexus nerves, causing burning pain mainly in the lower armpit and radiating to the inner side of the upper limb, especially at night.

3. Symptoms caused by distant metastasis of cancer

1. When lung cancer metastasizes to the chest and central nervous system, neurological symptoms such as headache, vomiting, dizziness, diplopia, ataxia, cranial nerve paralysis, weakness on one side of the limbs, and even hemiplegia may occur. In severe cases, symptoms of intracranial hypertension may occur.

2. When the disease spreads to bones, especially the ribs, spine, and pelvis, there will be local pain and tenderness.

3. When metastasized to the liver, there may be anorexia, pain in the liver area, liver enlargement, jaundice and ascites.

4. Lung cancer metastasizes to lymph nodes. Supraclavicular lymph nodes are often the site of lung cancer metastasis. There may be no symptoms, and patients may discover them by themselves and come to see a doctor. Typically, they are located in the anterior scalene muscle area, are fixed and hard, gradually increase in size, increase in number, and may fuse. The size of the lymph nodes does not necessarily reflect the early or late course of the disease. They are usually painless, and subcutaneous nodules can be felt when they metastasize subcutaneously.

4. Extrapulmonary manifestations caused by cancer acting on other systems

It includes abnormal changes in the endocrine system, neuromuscular system, connective tissue, blood system and blood vessels, also known as paraneoplastic syndrome. There are several manifestations:

1. Hypertrophic pulmonryosteoarthropathy is common in lung cancer, and is also seen in pleural localized mesothelioma and lung metastasis (metastasis of the thymus, uterus, and prostate). It often invades the distal ends of the long bones of the upper and lower limbs, causing clubbing of the fingers (toes) and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. The former is characterized by rapid onset, pain at the fingertips, and redness around the nail bed. The two often coexist, and are more common in squamous cell carcinoma. After the removal of lung cancer, the symptoms may be alleviated or disappear, but tumor recurrence may occur again.

2. The secretion of gonadotropin causes male breast development, which is often accompanied by hypertrophic osteoarthritis.

3. Secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone-like substances can cause Cushing syndrome, which is manifested by muscle weakness, edema, hypertension, increased urine sugar, etc.

4. The secretion of antidiuretic hormone causes dilutional hyponatremia, which manifests as symptoms of water intoxication such as poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, drowsiness, and disorientation. This is called the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH).

5. Neuromuscular syndrome includes cerebellar cortical degeneration, spinocerebellar degeneration, peripheral neuropathy, myasthenia gravis and myopathy. The cause of the disease is unclear. These symptoms are not related to the location of the tumor or the presence or absence of metastasis. It can occur several years before the tumor appears, or it can occur as a symptom at the same time as the tumor; it can still occur after surgical resection, or the original symptoms will not change. It can occur in various types of lung cancer, but is more common in small cell undifferentiated carcinoma.

6. Hypercalcemia Lung cancer can cause bone destruction due to metastasis or be caused by xenobiotic parathyroid hormone. Hypercalcemia can occur simultaneously with symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, lethargy, thirst, polyuria and mental disorder, which is more common in squamous cell carcinoma. After surgical resection of lung cancer, blood calcium can return to normal, but tumor recurrence can cause increased blood calcium.

The above is some knowledge about lung cancer that we have prepared for you today. I hope it will be helpful to you. If you have any other needs, you can also consult our online consulting experts of Feihua Health Network. We are always here to answer your questions. Feihua Health Network is always by your side and cares about your health issues! Feihua Health Network wishes you good health!

Lung cancer: http://www..com.cn/zhongliu/fa/