Are the symptoms of advanced small cell lung cancer scary?

Are the late-stage symptoms of small cell lung cancer scary? Because the symptoms of small cell lung cancer are not very obvious in the early stages, it is often ignored. However, many people do not know what the late-stage symptoms are. How scary are they? Let's learn about it together!

Cough is the most common symptom. Cough caused by small cell 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. The typical manifestation is 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, you should be highly alert to the possibility of lung cancer.

Blood in sputum or hemoptysis is also a common symptom of small cell lung cancer. Because the tumor tissue is rich in blood supply and brittle in texture, blood vessels rupture during severe coughing, causing bleeding. Hemoptysis may also be caused by local tumor necrosis or vasculitis. The characteristics of lung cancer hemoptysis are intermittent or persistent, repeated small amounts of blood in sputum, or small amounts of hemoptysis. Occasionally, large blood vessels rupture, large cavities form, or tumors rupture into the bronchial and pulmonary blood vessels, leading to uncontrollable hemoptysis.

In the late stage of small cell 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.