What are the symptoms of small cell lung cancer

When it comes to small cell carcinoma, many patients do not know about it. Some have never even heard of this name, let alone understand it. Small cell carcinoma is very harmful to people, so for patients with small cell lung cancer, early detection and early treatment are necessary. If some symptoms of small cell lung cancer are found, go for examination in time to avoid delaying the disease. So what are the symptoms of small cell lung cancer? Let us learn about it together below.

Cough: Cough is a common early symptom of small cell lung cancer. Most patients have irritating dry coughs. When the tumor grows to a certain extent and compresses the bronchus, a persistent, high-pitched metallic cough may occur. Cough is often accompanied by a small amount of mucus and sputum. When secondary infection occurs, purulent sputum may appear.

Chest tightness

Coughing up blood: Most patients have blood in their sputum, or intermittent blood in their sputum; a few patients will experience severe hemoptysis due to cancer cells eroding large blood vessels.

Chest pain: When the tumor expands in the chest cavity and invades the pleura, ribs or chest wall, it will cause chest pain symptoms of varying degrees.

Dizziness and headache: When the vena cava is compressed or blocked by a tumor thrombus in the cavity, the patient's face, neck and upper limbs will experience edema, distended jugular veins, congestion and varicose veins in the chest, and may also cause symptoms such as dizziness, swelling of the head and headache.

Dysphagia: When a tumor invades or compresses the esophagus, it can cause difficulty in swallowing.

Hoarseness: When the tumor directly compresses the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the patient's voice will become hoarse. Hoarseness can also occur when the cancer metastasizes to the lymph nodes and compresses the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Lung infection: Tumors block the airways and cause lung infection. Inflammation may occur repeatedly in the same area, a condition also called obstructive pneumonia.

The tumor can metastasize to multiple parts of the body outside the lungs, such as lymph nodes, pleura, bones, brain, adrenal glands, etc., causing different symptoms in each part. Some parts, like bones and pleura, will cause pain, while fluid will accumulate in the brain and pleura.