You have had bad cough for several weeks and your chest feels painful every time you breathe. Well that does not seem to be going away and you think it is getting worse. Or perhaps you think that it is common cold? Bronchitis or pneumonia? Or could it mean something which is just as serious as lung cancer?
Is your cough symptom, a sign, or will that be the diagnosis the doctor write on insurance form? These terms, which are often used interchangeably, can be rather confusing. A symptom denotes a change in the body which is indicative of a disease, serious injury or even something which is not right with your bodily systems. A symptom denotes something that you notice yourself, such as the cough or sore throat. A sign is something that your GP will observe like fever or a rattle in your chest heard using a stethoscope. Diagnosis is the final detection of a disease or condition after all the signs as well as symptoms have been well taken into consideration.
Unluckily, lung cancer, just like other forms of asbestos cancer such as mesothelioma, is known as a disease which commonly does not generate symptoms and is thus not recognized until it is advanced in the development. In fact, more than 90% of adults that are diagnosed have not symptoms at all. People, especially who are diagnosed with lung cancer, look back and realize that they had some symptoms for quite a long period of time, but they did seriously connect them with anything serious enough to cause them to see doctor.
The symptoms of lung cancer are so varied and depend much on the size and type of just any tumors and the initial location of their growth in the body. Just as the cancer metastasizes or progresses, it can greatly affect various organs and bodily systems and trigger symptoms that are not related to the lungs or chest. Since treatments and prognosis are literally dependent on the stage of the disease when it is diagnosed, the earlier lung cancer is diagnosed, the more favourable the result will be.
One very noticed and common symptom of lung cancer is the unexplained or persistent cough. Cough is present in 60% to 70% of diagnosed patients and the ongoing presence is commonly what triggers people to ultimate search for medical attention. The other symptoms in the respiratory system include.
- Hemoptysis, also known as coughing up blood, even if in small amounts or it quicklyresolves;
- Dyspnea, or the shortness of breath, also known as wheezing.
- Chest pain. It may be a constant dull ache or may rise and fall with breathing patterns.
- Hoarseness, which means your voice might be raspy, strained orbreathy and you may not be able to speak quite loudly.
Patients often do not link the symptoms that are not related to the respiratory system with lung cancer. But, some symptoms will develop before the chest or breathing issues become noticeable, such as pain in shoulder, anorexia, clubbing, or weak arms.
