You can have emotional and social effects after a cancer diagnosis. This may include dealing with a variety of emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, or anger, or managing your stress level. Sometimes, people find it difficult to express how they feel to their loved ones.
In its early stages, lung cancer doesn't typically have symptoms you can see or feel. Later, it often causes coughing, wheezing, and chest pain. But there are other, lesser-known effects that can show up, too -- in places you may not expect. (Of course, lung cancer isn't the only thing that can cause these symptoms.)
In stage 1 lung cancer, people usually do not experience symptoms. When they do, the most common symptoms include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, and coughing up blood or blood-stained phlegm. Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer.
Patients can (and usually do) live with lung cancer for many years before it becomes apparent. Early lung cancer is largely asymptomatic and internalisation of tumours means patients are not alerted by obvious physical changes.
Early lung cancer does not alert obvious physical changes. Moreover, patients can live with lung cancer for many years before they show any signs or symptoms. For example, it takes around eight years for a type of lung cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma to reach a size of 30 mm when it is most commonly diagnosed.
an ache or pain when breathing or coughing. persistent breathlessness. persistent tiredness or lack of energy. loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.
When you press your fingernails together, do you see a tiny diamond-shaped window of light. If you can't see this gap, you could have finger clubbing, which when the ends of your fingers swell up - and this could be a sign of lung cancer.
There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition eventually develop symptoms including: a persistent cough. coughing up blood. persistent breathlessness.
Here is a list of some symptoms you might have if you have cancer related fatigue: lack of energy – you may just want to stay in bed all day. feeling you just cannot be bothered to do much. sleeping problems such as unable to sleep or disturbed sleep.
People who experience cancer fatigue often describe it as "paralyzing." Usually, it comes on suddenly and is not the result of activity or exertion. With this type of fatigue, no amount of rest or sleep helps. You feel physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted most of the time.
If a biopsy is not possible, the doctor may suggest other tests that will help make a diagnosis. Lung cancer cannot be detected by routine blood testing, but blood tests may be used to identify genetic mutations in people who are already known to have lung cancer (see "Biomarker testing of the tumor" below).
If lung cancer grows and spreads, it can put pressure on the bones that make up the spine and the spinal cord or the nerves as they exit the spinal cord. This can lead to pain in your neck or upper, middle, or lower back. The pain may also spread to your arms, buttocks, or legs.
Some people have swollen fingers and nails (finger clubbing). This is more common in non small cell lung cancer. They may also have pain and swelling in their joints. This condition is called hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA).
To investigate abnormal symptoms, the first test is usually an x-ray, often followed by a CT scan. You may also have a test to check how your lungs are working and blood tests to check your overall health. Chest x-ray – a painless scan which can show tumours one centimetre wide or larger.
The PET-CT scan (which stands for positron emission tomography-computerised tomography) can show where there are active cancer cells. This can help with diagnosis and choosing the best treatment. Before having a PET-CT scan, you'll be injected with a slightly radioactive material.
Offer an urgent chest X-ray (to be performed within 2 weeks) to assess for lung cancer in people aged 40 years and over if they have two or more of the following unexplained symptoms, or if they have ever smoked and have one or more of the following unexplained symptoms: Cough. Fatigue. Shortness of breath.
What does lung cancer feel like? Sometimes it doesn't feel like anything at all. Because lung cancer doesn't typically cause pain or other warning signs in its early stages, many people don't realize they have the disease.
How fast does lung cancer spread? The rate at which lung cancer spreads varies from patient to patient. But, generally speaking, lung cancer is typically a cancer that grows quickly and spreads early.
Lung cancer cough often starts off dry (without mucus) and comes in spasms. It may feel like you constantly need to clear your throat. Later on, you may start to cough up blood or rust-colored mucus (sputum). That's called a wet cough or a productive cough.
Lung cancer-related back pain may feel dull like a muscle ache, or it may seem sharp like a pinched nerve.
Chest pain, shortness of breath and a persistent cough can all be symptoms of lung cancer. But they can also be signs of other conditions, including heart problems, anemia and even a COVID-19 infection.
Sometimes symptoms affect specific areas of the body, such as our tummy or skin. But signs can also be more general, and include weight loss, tiredness (fatigue) or unexplained pain. Some possible signs of cancer, like a lump, are better known than others.