What are the typical symptoms of small cell lung cancer

Many diseases do not have obvious symptoms at the beginning. Take small cell lung cancer for example. Most patients will only feel fatigued or have a little cough. These symptoms are always mistaken for minor illnesses and are not related to small cell lung cancer. This is caused by a lack of understanding of the symptoms of small cell lung cancer. Here are some typical symptoms of small cell lung cancer.

1. Symptoms and signs caused by the primary tumor

(I) Cough: It is a common early symptom, mostly irritating dry cough. When the tumor causes bronchial stenosis, a persistent, high-pitched metallic cough may occur. Cough is often accompanied by a small amount of mucus sputum, and when secondary infection occurs, it may be combined with purulent sputum.

(ii) Hemoptysis: Most cases are blood in the sputum or intermittent bloody sputum. In a few cases, severe hemoptysis occurs due to erosion of large blood vessels.

(III) Chest tightness and shortness of breath: The tumor causes bronchial stenosis, or the tumor metastasizes to the hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes, and the enlarged lymph nodes compress the main bronchus or tracheal carina.

2. Symptoms and signs caused by tumor expansion in the chest cavity

(I) Chest pain: Tumors directly invade the pleura, ribs or chest wall, causing varying degrees of chest pain. If the tumor invades the pleura, it will produce irregular dull pain or pain. If the tumor compresses the intercostal nerves, chest pain may affect their distribution area.

(ii) Superior vena cava syndrome: It is mostly caused by compression of the superior vena cava or, less commonly, blockage by a tumor thrombus in the cavity. It manifests as edema of the face, neck, and upper limbs, distended neck veins, congestion and varicose veins in the chest, and may be accompanied by dizziness, swelling of the head, and headache.

(III) Dysphagia: Tumors invade or compress the esophagus, causing dysphagia.

(iv) Choking and coughing: tracheoesophageal fistula or recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis causes choking and coughing when drinking water or eating liquid food.

(V) Hoarseness: It occurs when the tumor directly compresses or metastasizes to lymph nodes compressing the recurrent laryngeal nerve (mostly on the left side).

(VI) Horner syndrome: Lung cancer located at the upper apex of the lung is called Pancoast cancer. When it compresses the C8 and T1 sympathetic nerve trunks, typical Horner syndrome occurs, with ptosis of the eyelid, constricted pupil, enophthalmos, and little or no sweating on the face and chest wall on the same side. When it invades the brachial plexus, local pain and limited shoulder joint movement occur, which is called Pancoast syndrome.

(VII) Lung infection: Inflammation that can occur repeatedly in the same area due to tumor blocking the airway is also called obstructive pneumonia.

3. Symptoms and signs caused by extrapulmonary metastasis

(i) Metastasis to lymph nodes: Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis is usually fixed and hard in texture. It gradually increases in size, increases in number, and fuses. It is usually painless.

(ii) Metastasis to the pleura: causing chest pain and pleural effusion, which is mostly bloody.

(III) Metastasis to bones: Most cases are insidious, with only 1/3 having local symptoms, such as pain and pathological fractures. When metastasis to the spine compresses the spinal nerve roots, the pain is persistent and worsens at night. Intraspinal metastasis can rapidly cause irreversible paraplegia syndrome in a short period of time.

(IV) Metastasis to the brain: Edema of intracranial lesions may cause intracranial hypertension, resulting in headache, nausea, and vomiting. The space-occupying effect may also lead to diplopia, ataxia, cranial nerve paralysis, weakness of one side of the limbs, and even hemiplegia.

(V) Metastasis to the pericardium: Pericardial effusion and even signs of pericardial tamponade may occur, with dyspnea, which is more obvious when lying flat, distended jugular veins, low blood pressure, decreased pulse pressure difference, systemic congestion, and decreased urine output.

(V) Metastasis to the adrenal glands, liver, etc., causing dysfunction of local peripheral organs.

4. Extrapulmonary manifestations of tumors and systemic symptoms: Extrapulmonary manifestations of tumors include nonspecific systemic symptoms, such as fatigue, anorexia, and weight loss. They also include paraneoplastic syndromes, the most common of which are as follows:

(1) Carcinoid syndrome: Excessive secretion of 5-HT leads to asthma-like dyspnea, paroxysmal tachycardia, watery diarrhea, and skin flushing.

(ii) Eaton-Lambert syndrome: a neuromuscular syndrome caused by tumors, including cerebellar cortical degeneration, spinal cord degeneration, peripheral neuropathy, myasthenia gravis and myopathy.

(III) Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADHS): manifested by dilutional hyponatremia, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, drowsiness, and even disorientation

(IV) Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy: It often affects the distal ends of long bones of the upper and lower limbs, causing clubbing of the fingers, pain at the fingertips, and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.

(V) Cushing syndrome: The tumor secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone-like substances, causing fat redistribution, etc.

The above is my introduction to the typical symptoms of small cell lung cancer. I hope it can help you and I wish you good health.