What are the symptoms of lung cancer invasion and metastasis? There are six major symptoms of lung cancer invasion and metastasis

Most people only know the symptoms of lung cancer, but they don’t know that lung cancer can metastasize to other parts of the body and that cancer cells can invade other organs. Therefore, lung cancer patients should not only pay attention to the treatment and care of the lungs, but also pay attention to other parts that are easily invaded by lung cancer. Only by protecting all parts of the body and improving immunity can we have a good body and a good life.

What are the symptoms of lung cancer invasion and metastasis?

1. Lymph node metastasis

The most common are mediastinal lymph nodes and supraclavicular lymph nodes, which are mostly on the same side as the lesion, and a few on the opposite side. They are mostly hard, single or multiple nodules, and sometimes they are the first complaint for medical treatment. Enlarged paratracheal or subcarinal lymph nodes can compress the airway, causing chest tightness, shortness of breath, or even suffocation. Compression of the esophagus can cause dysphagia.

2. Pleural invasion and/or metastasis

The pleura is a common site of invasion and metastasis of lung cancer, including direct invasion and implant metastasis. Clinical manifestations vary depending on the presence or absence of pleural effusion and the amount of pleural effusion. In addition to direct invasion and metastasis, the causes of pleural effusion also include lymph node obstruction and associated obstructive pneumonia and atelectasis. Common symptoms include dyspnea, cough, chest tightness and chest pain, etc., or there may be no symptoms at all; physical examination can show fullness of the intercostals, widening of the intercostals, decreased breath sounds, decreased vocal fremitus, percussion sound, mediastinal shift, etc. Pleural effusion can be serous, serous bloody or bloody, most of which are exudates. Malignant pleural effusion is characterized by rapid growth and is mostly bloody. Spontaneous pneumothorax can occur in extremely rare lung cancer. Its mechanism is direct invasion of the pleura and rupture of obstructive emphysema. It is more common in squamous cell carcinoma and has a poor prognosis.

3. Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (SVCS)

Direct invasion of the tumor or metastasis of the mediastinal lymph nodes compresses the superior vena cava, or embolism in the cavity causes it to narrow or occlude, resulting in blood reflux obstruction and a series of symptoms and signs, such as headache, facial edema, cervical and chest varicose veins, increased pressure, dyspnea, cough, chest pain, and dysphagia, and often fainting or dizziness when bending over. The veins in the anterior chest and upper abdomen may be compensatory varicose, reflecting the time of superior vena cava obstruction and the anatomical location of the obstruction. The symptoms and signs of superior vena cava obstruction are related to its location. If the innominate vein on one side is blocked, the blood flow from the head, face, and neck can return to the heart through the innominate vein on the opposite side, and the clinical symptoms are mild. If the superior vena cava obstruction occurs below the entrance of the azygos vein, in addition to the above-mentioned venous dilatation, there is also abdominal venous distension, and blood flows into the inferior vena cava through this route. If the obstruction develops rapidly, cerebral edema may occur with headache, drowsiness, irritability, and changes in consciousness.

4. Kidney metastasis

About 35% of patients who died of lung cancer were found to have renal metastasis, which is also the most common metastatic site for patients who died within one month after lung cancer surgery. Most renal metastases have no clinical symptoms, but sometimes they can manifest as low back pain and renal insufficiency.

5. Digestive tract metastasis

Liver metastasis may manifest as loss of appetite, pain in the liver area, sometimes accompanied by nausea, serum γ-GT is often positive, AKp is progressively increased, and physical examination may reveal an enlarged liver with a hard, nodular feel. Small cell lung cancer is prone to pancreatic metastasis, which may cause symptoms of pancreatitis or obstructive jaundice. Lung cancer of various cell types can metastasize to the liver, gastrointestinal tract, adrenal glands, and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Most of them are clinically asymptomatic and are often discovered during physical examination.