Early symptoms of lung tumor

Many lung cancer patients do not have any symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which delays the best time for treatment. It is particularly important to understand the early symptoms of lung cancer. Lung cancer is a very common cancer, ranking second in the mortality rate of malignant tumors in my country. Generally, the systemic symptoms of lung cancer are not obvious. In the early stages, there may be symptoms of tuberculosis-like inflammation such as cough, shortness of breath, and blood in sputum. In the late stages, patients may have fever, weight loss, fatigue, and even cachexia.

Early stage lung cancer generally does not produce symptoms, so it is also called the asymptomatic period, which can be as short as a few months or as long as a few years, depending on the individual. During this period, patients rarely seek medical treatment, so it is difficult to detect clinically. Some early symptoms of lung cancer are just general respiratory symptoms such as dry cough, chest pain, low fever, and coughing up blood. These symptoms are confused with colds, bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases, and it is difficult to attract the attention of patients. In addition to those symptoms, due to the compression of lung cancer on other nerves, most external signs will also be manifested. Patients and their families should pay more attention and seek medical treatment in time.

1) Localized wheezing: It is a unilateral localized wheezing, especially the wheezing during the inspiratory phase. It does not disappear after coughing. It is one of the early signs of lung cancer, but it is short-lived and easily ignored.

2) Hoarseness occurs when lymph node metastasis compresses or invades the recurrent laryngeal nerve (most common on the left side) and laryngoscope examination of the mediastinum reveals vocal cord paralysis on the affected side

3) When the tumor pressure catches up with the superior vena cava, which is common in right upper lobe small cell carcinoma, the venous return of the head and upper limbs is blocked, resulting in congestion, edema and venous distension of the head, face and upper body (i.e. superior vena cava compression syndrome).

4) Lung cancer at the apex of the lung is also called superior pulmonary sulcus tumor, which often compresses the cervical sympathetic nerve and causes constriction of the pupil on the same side. Horner syndrome includes ptosis of the upper eyelid, enophthalmos, narrow palpebral fissure, and hypohidrosis of the forehead.

5) Compression of the brachial plexus causes soreness in the ipsilateral shoulder and arm, inability to lift, radiating pain and paresthesia in the shoulder and fingers, and muscle atrophy.

6) Compression of the esophagus causes difficulty in swallowing and may even cause bronchoesophageal fistula, leading to lung infection. Severe compression of the airway may cause suffocation and death.

7) Compression of the phrenic nerve causes paralysis and ascent of the ipsilateral diaphragm. X-ray fluoroscopy shows that the diaphragm on the affected side moves slowly and there are contradictory movements when breathing in through the nose.

8) When the tumor is close to the pleura, it can cause reactive pleural effusion, and when it invades the pleura, it often produces bloody pleural effusion.

The digestive system of patients with early and middle stage lung cancer is sound. Before and after treatment, they should take the time to supplement nutrition to improve physical fitness, enhance resistance, and prevent or delay the occurrence of cachexia. If nutrients are fully supplemented before treatment, patients with better physical condition will have a stronger tolerance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the treatment effect will be better; similarly, patients with better physical condition are more receptive to surgical treatment and can recover faster than patients with poor nutritional status. Therefore, patients with early and middle stage lung cancer should supplement various nutrients as soon as possible, such as high-quality protein, carbohydrates, fats, inorganic salts and multiple vitamins, under the condition that digestion and absorption capacity allows.