What are the early symptoms of lung cancer? 3 common symptoms of early lung cancer patients

The symptoms of lung cancer are quite complex. The presence or absence of symptoms and whether they are serious are directly related to the disease, such as the location and type of the tumor, whether it has metastasized, etc. However, the common feature is that the early symptoms are generally not obvious, or there is no manifestation at all. The following is an introduction to the symptoms of lung cancer;

Let's talk about cough first. It is the earliest and most common symptom of lung cancer patients. Because the onset is often similar to a cold or bronchitis, it is easy to be ignored. Therefore, people who have no chronic respiratory diseases in the past, especially those over 40 years old, should be alert to the possibility of lung cancer if the cough persists for more than 3 weeks after active treatment, and further examination is necessary. As for elderly patients with chronic bronchitis, the incidence of lung cancer is higher than that of ordinary people, but their early cough symptoms are often easily confused with the original chronic cough, and diagnosis is often delayed.

At this time, we must pay attention to the changes in the nature and pattern of coughing. Due to the stimulation of cancerous tissue on the bronchial mucosa, lung cancer patients often have irritating coughs and severe coughs with little sputum, which is inconsistent with the original seasonal pattern of onset. Active anti-infection treatment is ineffective and the symptoms become worse.

Hemoptysis is the second most common symptom of lung cancer, which is often caused by cancer tissue invading the bronchial mucosa. The amount of hemoptysis is usually small, often with bloody sputum, which can last for weeks or months or occur intermittently. Since the amount of hemoptysis is small or occurs intermittently, it is easy to be neglected. In fact, about 1/4 of those who have bloody sputum in middle-aged and older people are caused by lung cancer. Therefore, when bloody sputum appears for unknown reasons, do not be careless.

Chest pain is also a common symptom of lung cancer. Especially for peripheral lung cancer, chest pain may be the first symptom. It is caused by the infiltration of the pleura by cancerous tissue. Chest pain is often fixed at the site of the lesion, and in the early stage, it is often intermittent pain and discomfort. Coughing can make it worse. Therefore, if chest pain occurs in a fixed location for unknown reasons, corresponding examinations should be carried out early.

As we all know, cough is a major manifestation of lung cancer, but cough is not obvious in the early stages. By the time patients clearly notice abnormal coughing, it is often already advanced lung cancer, causing the best treatment time to be lost. Therefore, it is recommended that people with a high risk of lung cancer pay attention to physical examinations.