What are the clinical symptoms of lung cancer? Check out some common clinical symptoms of lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease with a high mortality rate and is very torturous. When the patient's family members hear the patient coughing constantly, they will feel inexplicably sad. The pain endured by lung cancer patients is very great. Generally, the early symptoms of lung cancer are not very obvious. By the time it is discovered, it has reached the middle or late stage of lung cancer. This requires us to learn more about the symptoms of lung cancer. The following is a professional introduction.

(I) Local symptoms

Local symptoms refer to symptoms caused by the tumor itself irritating, blocking, infiltrating and compressing tissues as it grows locally.

1. Cough

Cough is the most common symptom, with 35% to 75% of patients having cough as the first symptom. Cough caused by lung cancer may be related to changes in bronchial mucus secretion, obstructive pneumonia, pleural invasion, atelectasis and other intrathoracic complications. When the tumor grows in the bronchial mucosa above the segment with a larger diameter and sensitive to external stimuli, it can cause a cough similar to that caused by foreign body stimulation, typically manifested as paroxysmal irritating dry cough, which is often difficult to control with general cough suppressants. When the tumor grows in the smaller bronchial mucosa below the segment, the cough is often not obvious or even absent. For patients who smoke or suffer from chronic bronchitis, if the cough becomes more severe, the frequency changes, and the nature of the cough changes, such as a high-pitched metallic sound, especially in the elderly, be highly alert to the possibility of lung cancer.

2. Blood in sputum or hemoptysis

Blood in sputum or hemoptysis is also a common symptom of lung cancer, accounting for about 30% of the first symptoms. Because tumor tissue is rich in blood supply and brittle in texture, blood vessels rupture and cause bleeding during severe coughing. Hemoptysis may also be caused by local tumor necrosis or vasculitis. The characteristics of lung cancer hemoptysis are intermittent or continuous, repeated small amounts of blood in sputum, or small amounts of hemoptysis, occasionally due to large blood vessel rupture, large cavity formation or tumor rupture into the bronchial and pulmonary blood vessels, leading to uncontrollable large hemoptysis.

3. Chest pain

About 25% of patients have chest pain as the first symptom. It often manifests as irregular dull pain or pain in the chest. In most cases, peripheral lung cancer invades the parietal pleura or chest wall, which can cause sharp and intermittent pleural pain. If it continues to develop, it will evolve into constant drilling pain. Mild chest discomfort that is difficult to locate is sometimes related to central lung cancer invading the mediastinum or involving blood vessels and peripheral bronchial nerves, and 25% of patients with malignant pleural effusion complain of dull chest pain. Continuous, sharp and severe chest pain that is not easily controlled by drugs often indicates that there has been extensive pleural or chest wall invasion. Persistent pain in the shoulder or chest and back indicates that there may be tumor invasion near the mediastinum on the inner side of the lung lobe.

4. Chest tightness and shortness of breath

About 10% of patients have this as the first symptom, which is more common in central lung cancer, especially patients with poor lung function. The main causes of dyspnea include: ① In the late stage of lung cancer, when the mediastinal lymph nodes are widely metastatic and compress the trachea, carina or main bronchi, shortness of breath or even suffocation may occur. ② When a large amount of pleural effusion compresses the lung tissue and causes severe displacement of the mediastinum, or when there is pericardial effusion, chest tightness, shortness of breath and dyspnea may also occur, but the symptoms can be relieved after fluid extraction. ③ Diffuse bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and bronchial disseminated adenocarcinoma reduce the respiratory area and gas diffusion dysfunction, leading to severe ventilation/perfusion ratio imbalance, causing dyspnea to gradually worsen, often accompanied by cyanosis. ④ Others: including obstructive pneumonia. Atelectasis, lymphangitic lung cancer, tumor microembolism, upper airway obstruction, spontaneous pneumothorax and combined chronic lung diseases such as COpD.

5. Hoarseness

5% to 18% of lung cancer patients present hoarseness as the first complaint, usually accompanied by cough. Hoarseness generally indicates direct mediastinal invasion or lymph node enlargement involving the ipsilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve, resulting in left vocal cord paralysis. Vocal cord paralysis can also cause varying degrees of upper airway obstruction.

(II) Systemic symptoms

1. Fever

This is the first symptom in 20% to 30% of cases. There are two reasons for fever caused by lung cancer. One is inflammatory fever. When central lung cancer tumors grow, they often block the segment or bronchial opening first, causing obstructive pneumonia or atelectasis in the corresponding lobe or segment, resulting in fever, but the temperature is mostly around 38°C and rarely exceeds 39°C. Antibiotic treatment may be effective and the shadow may be absorbed, but due to poor drainage of secretions, it often recurs. About 1/3 of patients may repeatedly develop pneumonia in the same part within a short period of time. Peripheral lung cancer often causes fever in the late stage due to inflammation caused by tumor compression of adjacent lung tissue. The second is cancer fever, which is mostly caused by the absorption of tumor necrotic tissue by the body. This type of fever is ineffective with anti-inflammatory drugs, but hormones or indole drugs have a certain effect.

2. Weight loss and cachexia

In the late stage of lung cancer, due to loss of appetite caused by infection and pain, increased consumption caused by tumor growth and toxins, and increased levels of cytokines such as TNF and Leptin in the body, severe weight loss, anemia, and cachexia may occur.

I remember that when my grandfather was alive, he was always coughing. Sometimes, when he coughed for a long time, he would eat something to suppress the cough. To be honest, we always think that lung cancer is far away from us, but before we know it, lung cancer happens around us. We don’t know whether we should feel sorry or do anything. Understanding lung cancer means being responsible for our own lives.