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It is the most deadly cancer in Poland. Unfortunately, cancer is still detected too late, and therefore the effectiveness of its treatment is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is important to diagnose the disease quickly. What symptoms should worry us?
The course of lung cancer is extremely insidious and often asymptomatic. It is relatively common to detect this disease through chest X-rays in a healthy person without any symptoms. Prof. Tadeusz Orłowski, head of the Surgery Clinic at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw, emphasizes that the importance of quick diagnosis and immediate treatment initiation can be seen on the example of American data. The detection of a 1 cm change and the implementation of the therapy within a month resulted in a cure in 93% of patients. patients.
GPs should be more vigilant
Lung cancer is diagnosed too late because it does not show any symptoms for a long time. – If they do appear, they are often disregarded not only by the sick, but also by doctors – says prof. Halina Batura-Gabryel, head of the Chair and Clinic of Pulmonology, Allergology and Pulmonary Oncology, Medical University of Poznań. He adds that as many as three-quarters of cases are detected by chance. Symptoms that should alert your primary care physician include: cough, recurrent pneumonia, shortness of breath, haemoptysis, chest pain. Even if the patient himself attaches importance only to hemoptysis and ignores the remaining symptoms, mainly coughing, the family doctor should remain oncological vigilance and refer him to a radiological examination – he adds.
Pulmonologists say that patients diagnosed with lung cancer had been treated by other doctors for many months before, had taken antibiotics, and no one had ordered them to X-ray their lungs. It happens that a family doctor will refer a constantly coughing patient to a chest picture only after 2-3 months of unsuccessful treatment of the alleged inflammation with antibiotics.
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Symptoms cannot be ignored
Lung cancer symptoms may be related to the primary tumor or to metastatic lesions. The primary tumor may manifest itself in a nonspecific manner. Patients most often complain of a cough that lasts too long or recurs. Often also changing his character. This applies to 70 percent. patients. Other symptoms include hoarseness, dysphagia and haemoptysis. Recurrent pneumonia is also a fairly common symptom.
Shortness of breath and chest pains are due to the advancement of the tumor. If it affects the tops of the lungs, the patient sometimes experiences shoulder pains, as well as the shoulder blades radiating to the elbow and the fourth and fifth fingers. Additionally, there may be drooping eyelid, collapse of the eyeball and constriction of the pupil. Like other malignant neoplasms, lung cancer is often accompanied by weight loss, lack of appetite, weakness, low-grade fever, and excessive sweating. Symptoms associated with lung cancer metastasis may include supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, headache, visual disturbances, morning sickness, bone soreness and fractures due to insufficient trauma.
Paraneoplastic syndrome
Sometimes the first manifestation of lung cancer is the so-called paraneoplastic syndrome. They occur in a place distant from the tumor and are caused by the secretion of biologically active substances by tumor cells. Paraneoplastic syndromes are often the first symptom preceding radiological diagnosis, therefore failure to miss them enables early detection of the disease and gives a better chance of curing. Cushing’s syndrome may occur in small cell lung cancer, manifested by abdominal obesity, stretch marks on the skin, rounded face, arterial hypertension, and the occurrence of excessive male hair in women. Paraneoplastic syndrome also manifests itself in dermatological changes. Papillary lesions with disturbed skin pigmentation may appear, mainly located on the nape, face and hands, and around the armpits. They are often accompanied by itching. Patients also develop hyperkeratosis of the skin in various parts of the body. Mainly in the course of squamous cell lung cancer, keratosis appears on the hands, feet, and often on the nose and the entire face. Exfoliating erythema may also occur, spreading at a rate of 1 cm a day, it arranges itself in shapes resembling tree rings. These changes quickly disappear after the tumor is removed.
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