What are the symptoms of lung metastasis from rectal cancer?

Symptoms of advanced colorectal cancer

(i) The earliest symptoms may be abdominal distension, discomfort, indigestion, etc. Symptoms of advanced colorectal cancer metastasis are followed by changes in bowel habits, such as increased bowel movements, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain before defecation, and later mucus or mucopurulent blood in the stool.

(II) Poisoning symptoms: Due to the blood loss and toxin absorption caused by tumor ulceration, patients often experience anemia, low fever, fatigue, weight loss, edema, etc. Anemia and weight loss are particularly prominent.

(III) Intestinal obstruction is manifested by incomplete or complete low-position intestinal obstruction symptoms, such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain (distension or colic), constipation or constipation, and physical examination may reveal abdominal distension, intestinal type, local tenderness, and audible hyperactive bowel sounds.

(IV) Abdominal mass: It is a tumor or a mass that is infiltrated and adhered to the omentum and surrounding tissues. It is hard and irregular in shape, and some of them can move with the intestines to a certain extent. In the late stage, the tumor is more invasive and the mass can be fixed.

In the early stage of lung metastasis, respiratory symptoms are mild or absent, and are often discovered during routine chest X-ray examinations or when recurrence occurs between 6 months and 3 years after radical surgery or radiotherapy. That is to say, symptoms vary with the site of metastasis. If the metastasis occurs in the lung interstitium and is a solitary nodule, there are often no clinical symptoms. If the metastatic lesion is located in the bronchial endothelium, the patient may experience respiratory symptoms, and clinical chest pain is common in those with rib metastasis. In a few cases, a small amount of hemoptysis may occur when the bronchial mucosa is invaded, but large hemoptysis may occur in choriocarcinoma lung metastasis. When the symptoms of late-stage metastasis of rectal cancer invade the pleura, main bronchus or adjacent structures, the same symptoms as primary bronchial lung cancer may occur. Such as cough, blood in sputum, chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, etc., when the symptoms appear earlier, it indicates that the metastatic lesion involves the bronchi. If accompanied by mediastinal metastasis, the patient may show symptoms of hoarseness, superior vena cava syndrome, diaphragmatic paralysis and esophageal or tracheal compression. Occasionally, tumors cause acute pulmonary embolism, which manifests as progressive dyspnea.

Lymph nodes are a common site of metastasis in the late stage of rectal cancer. Generally speaking, surgery is the first choice for treatment before metastasis occurs, especially for patients with middle and lower rectal cancer. Postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are more important. For patients who have already metastasized, traditional Chinese medicine treatment should be continued after surgery, which can not only alleviate the damage caused by metastasis symptoms to patients, but also improve the quality of life of patients.