Signs and symptoms which may suggest lung cancer

Signs and symptoms[edit]

Signs and symptoms which may suggest lung cancer include:^[1]

• Respiratory symptoms: coughing, coughing up blood, wheezing or shortness of breath
• Systemic symptoms: weight loss, fever, clubbing of the fingernails, or fatigue
• Symptoms due to the cancer mass pressing on adjacent structures: chest pain, bone pain, superior vena cava obstruction, difficulty swallowing

If the cancer grows in the airways, it may obstruct airflow, causing breathing difficulties. The obstruction can lead to accumulation of secretions behind the blockage, and predispose to pneumonia.^[1]

Depending on the type of tumor, paraneoplastic phenomena—symptoms not due to the local presence of cancer—may initially attract attention to the disease.^[12] In lung cancer, these phenomena may include Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (muscle weakness due to autoantibodies), hypercalcemia, or syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH, abnormally concentrated urine and diluted blood). Tumors in the top of the lung, known as Pancoast tumors, may invade the local part of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to Horner's syndrome (dropping of the eyelid and a small pupil on that side), as well as damage to the brachial plexus.^[1]

Many of the symptoms of lung cancer (poor appetite, weight loss, fever, fatigue) are not specific.^[8] In many people, the cancer has already spread beyond the original site by the time they have symptoms and seek medical attention.^[13] Symptoms that suggest the presence of metastatic disease include weight loss, bone pain and neurological symptoms (headaches, fainting, convulsions, or limb weakness).^[1] Common sites of spread include the brain, bone, adrenal glands, opposite lung, liver, pericardium, and kidneys.^[13] About 10% of people with lung cancer do not have symptoms at diagnosis; these cancers are incidentally found on routine chest radiography.^[14]