A person is affected by lung cancer when the cells in his lungs divide and multiply at a tremendous rate. This multiplication happens without any control and takes the form of a mass or tumor. Most of the lung tumors are malignant and are very dangerous because they take the oxygen and nutrients from healthy cells. Lung cancer symptoms often come only in the later stages of lung cancer.
Some of the lung cancer symptoms are cough and shortness of breathe. These are common symptoms for respiratory illness too. So most people think these are symptoms of respiratory disease and not lung cancer symptoms. So, most of the time, lung cancer symptoms go unnoticed. If diagnosed and treated early, the survival rate will be high.
Some of the lung cancer symptoms are cough and wheezing. When cough is persistent for a long time, one should consult a doctor. Smokers who have chronic cough are also highly prone to lung cancer. Another lung cancer symptom is continuous chest pain. Yet another lung cancer symptom is hoarseness in voice. When the cells in the voice box get affected, it affects the voice also.
Some other lung cancer symptoms include swelling in the neck, shortness of breath, coughing up blood and loss of appetite. Some people will have repeated respiratory infections. One should consult a doctor immediately if one gets any of these symptoms.
Some times lung cancer will spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis. Some of the parts where this cancer spreads are brain, liver, bones and adrenalin glands. The lung cancer symptoms in these conditions are back pain, weakness and numbness in arms and legs and pain in the bones. Lung cancer symptoms when it spreads to the brain are seizures, headaches and difficulty in vision.
Generally a quarter of people who are diagnosed of lung cancer will not have any lung cancer symptoms. A routine x-ray or a CT scan which is done during a general check up normally identifies the cancer. But most of the patients show lung cancer symptoms at a later stage. These lung cancer symptoms may be due to primary cancer in that site or a metastatic tumor.
Primary lung cancer symptoms include coughing up of blood, chest pain, shortness of breath and chronic cough. Metastatic lung cancer symptoms depend on the location and size of the tumor. Metastastic lung cancer in the liver or adrenalin glands will not generally have any lung cancer symptoms.
Some lung cancer symptoms include clubbing of fingers or deposits of excess tissues under the fingernails. Some of the indirect effects of lung cancer are lung cancer symptoms like anemia and low sodium levels in the body. Some people even have new bone formation in their arms and legs. People who are heavy smokers are at a high risk of getting lung cancer. Also at risk are people who are passive smokers. Other factors like air pollution, inhalation of asbestos fiber at work place etc. can also cause lung cancer. So it is always advisable to consult a doctor at the earliest and get treated so that one can increase the chance of survival.