Symptoms of Bronchial Carcinoma
Lung cancer is insidious, because at the beginning of the disease usually no specific symptoms are appearing. Cough is indeed an important signal, but can also indicate other diseases, such as chronic bronchitis or pneumonia.
Often cancer is therefore either accidentally discovered in an X-ray examination or only when it is already in advanced and accordingly is poorly treatable. Unlike some other cancers also no screening is currently offered, which would be suitable as a screening for early detection. If symptoms occur at the beginning, it is difficult to differentiate it from other lung diseases.
Lung cancer is often only detected when the cough with antibiotics remains stubbornly despite treatment or blood admixtures are discovered in the sputum. Only a small proportion of cases of lung cancer will be discovered by chance during a routine examination of the lungs. The following symptoms should prompt a visit to the doctor, especially when they occur combined or prolonged:
- Cough that lasts longer than three weeks without other known cause or worsening of a chronic cough.
- Paralysis, severe arm pain or pain in the intercostals space and a general loss of strength.
- Pneumonia that does not respond to treatment (so-called therapy-resistant pneumonia):
- Prolonged ejection with and without blood admixture.
- Unclear fever
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent low-grade fever
- Chest pain
- Fatigue, reduced performance and weight loss
- Hoarseness and difficulty in swallowing
- Bone pain
- Swollen lymph nodes above the collarbone
- There are also complaints that are not typical of pulmonary diseases, such as brain or spinal cord inflammation and endocrine disrupting effects (eg Cushing’s syndrome). These symptoms are caused by a hormonal activity of the tumor caused (paraneoplastic syndromes).
Other symptoms may occur when cancer spreads and metastases in other organs. Particularly commonly spine, brain, adrenal glands and liver are affected, leading to back pain, headaches, dizziness, behavioral changes, abdominal pain, or nausea may result.
If you experience such discomfort, that does not mean that you are suffering from a tumor disease. It may also, in particular in heavy smokers, to act a chronic bronchitis or pneumonia. Nevertheless, you should take the complaints seriously and necessarily to go to the doctor.
The earlier lung cancer is detected, the better are the chances of cure.