Where are the painful areas in the early stage of lung cancer?

The pain in the early stages of lung cancer mainly occurs in the chest, shoulders, back and other parts of the body. These pains may be related to the progression of lung cancer.

1. Chest pain: Chest pain is one of the common early symptoms of lung cancer. When lung cancer cells continue to invade lung tissue, it will cause damage to the pleura and chest wall, causing chest pain. This chest pain may be intermittent, manifesting as dull pain, stabbing pain or stuffy pain, and may appear fixed on one side of the chest. The cause of chest pain may also be related to long-term coughing that irritates the pleura. Lung cancer patients often experience coughing symptoms, and persistent coughing may irritate the pleura and cause chest pain.

2. Shoulder and back pain: Shoulder and back pain is also one of the symptoms that may occur in the early stage of lung cancer. If lung cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes around the hilum of the lung or nearby tissues, it may cause shoulder and back pain. This pain is usually persistent and is different from the shoulder and back pain caused by long-term desk work.

3. Pain in other parts of the body: In addition to chest pain and shoulder and back pain, patients with early lung cancer may also experience pain in other parts of the body, such as neck pain, throat pain, etc. These pains may be related to the progression of lung cancer, but not all lung cancer patients will experience these symptoms.

It is worth noting that some lung cancer patients do not have obvious pain symptoms in the early stage, but instead have respiratory symptoms such as coughing, expectoration, and blood in the sputum. The symptoms are often mild and can be easily masked by other diseases. People at high risk, such as long-term smokers and those with a family history of lung cancer, should be more vigilant and go to the hospital for relevant examinations in time for early detection and early treatment.