What Are the Symptoms of Lung Cancer?

Symptoms of lung cancer include a cough that doesn't go away, chest pain that gets worse, and coughing up blood, among several others. Here's what you should know.

You may not notice signs of lung cancer in its early stages. In fact, many lung cancers do not cause symptoms until they have already spread. Some are found through a chest x-ray or CT scan taken for other reasons. The tumor may have been present for some time.

When early lung cancer does cause symptoms, they’re often health problems you’d have anyway if you smoke. For example, some early signs of lung cancer include shortness of breath and coughing and shortness of breath during   exercise.

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None of the symptoms below confirm that you do have a tumor, but you should see a doctor if you have them. Symptoms of lung cancer include:

• Cough that doesn’t go away and gets worse over time
• Chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
• Hoarseness
• Wheezing, if you haven’t had wheezing in the past
• Appetite loss or unexpected weight loss
• Coughing up blood or rust-colored mucus
• Shortness of breath
• Pneumonia or bronchitis that doesn’t go away or coms back

If lung cancer spreads to other parts of your body, it may trigger:

• Pain in your back or hips
• Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Headache, a weak or numb arm or leg, dizziness, balance problems, or seizures
• Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck

Some lung cancers cause groups of symptoms.

• Horner syndrome arises from cancers in the upper part of the lungs that affect nerves to your eye and face. This may cause a drooping or weak upper eyelid and a smaller pupil in that eye, along with lack of sweat on that side of your face.
• Tumors that press on the superior vena cava, a vein that carries blood from your head and arms to your heart, can cause swelling in the upper part of your body, headaches, and dizziness.

Other lung cancers affect other organs, so you might at first not suspect a problem with your lungs.

• One affects the salt levels in your blood, causing fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, vomiting, restlessness, and confusion.
• In Cushing syndrome, the cancer cells make a hormone that stimulates your adrenal glands and can cause easy bruising, weight gain, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
• In Lambert-Eaton syndrome, muscles around your hips become weak.

Several conditions can cause these symptoms, so do not assume you have lung cancer. See your healthcare provider to find out what your symptoms mean.

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