Lung cancer: symptoms and diagnosis

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers. This disease is very dangerous: for a long time, the patient has almost no symptoms or does not notice the first signs of the disease. However, for successful treatment, it is very important to identify the oncology at an early stage.

Epidemiology and prognosis of lung cancer treatment

According to the World Health Organization, it is known that the main cause of lung cancer is smoking. More than 80% of all reported cases of lung cancer are related to this bad habit.

Lung cancer is a very dangerous disease. Breathing is one of the body's most important functions, and damage to the lungs leaves a person with little chance. However, much depends on the timely treatment and localization of the tumor. With peripheral lesions of the lungs (occurring in the epithelium of the small bronchi or in the lung parenchyma), the prognosis is rather optimistic - in this case, the process of tumor development is slow and can take years. However, with this type of cancer, the patient does not feel any changes in health condition for a very long time, does not experience pain, and may not even be aware of the disease.

If the tumor is located in the center of the lung, the chances of a positive result are much lower. Typically, life expectancy from the time of diagnosis is three to four years. With the central localization of the tumor, the pain syndrome develops earlier and all the signs of lung cancer are more pronounced.

Causes of lung cancer in men and women

As already mentioned, the main cause of lung cancer is smoking, including passive smoking. Obviously, the more a person smokes, the greater the risk. Leaving this bad habit on time reduces the risk, but does not completely eliminate it. Even if a person smoked his last cigarette 10 years ago and has been feeling very good ever since he should not neglect regular health checks.

A hereditary predisposition is also important. Doctors have long noticed that many patients also have a family history of lung cancer. Unfortunately, previous radiation therapy, which is associated with the need to treat oncological diseases of thoracic localization, can also provoke lung cancer.

The ecological situation in the area where a person lives also plays an important role. In industrial cities, where the air is polluted by smoke from factories and factory chimneys, car exhaust, and dust, the incidence of lung cancer is above average. Those who have been in areas contaminated with radiation, as well as people who work with toxic substances such as arsenic, asbestos, chromium, or nickel, are also at risk.

There is also a link between the development of lung cancer and chronic lung disease, particularly tuberculosis.

As you age, your chances of developing lung cancer increase. People under the age of 45 account for only 10% of all cases, but in the age group 46 to 60 years, the risk increases dramatically - in 52% of patients, cancer is detected in this period. After 60 years, the probability of getting sick is somewhat reduced - elderly patients reach 38%.

Symptoms and signs of lung cancer of various types and stages of development

Most often, lung cancer is discovered incidentally, during a routine physical examination or examination for completely different reasons. Often, tumor development is asymptomatic. Sometimes the disease still manifests itself, but it doesn't even happen to people that ordinary and insignificant changes in health can portend something very dangerous.

The following are the main symptoms of lung cancer in its early stages:

Hoarseness. Hoarse voices come and go for no apparent reason. This occurs when a growing tumor presses on a recurrent nerve.

Chronic dry cough.

Whistling sound when breathing. This is explained by the growth of tumors in the lung tissue.

Pain in the chest. Especially felt when inhaling. These symptoms are characteristic of tumors growing into the pleura.

Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. This symptom indicates that the lumen of the alveoli in the lungs is reduced.

Slightly increased temperature. Unlike infectious diseases, in this case, the temperature rarely rises above 37–37.8℃. This happens most often at night, and in the morning the person feels better again.

Weight loss. A person loses weight, although he follows his usual diet.

Constant fatigue. High fatigue is a companion to many diseases, including cancer.

As you can see, the early signs of lung cancer don't seem too scary, and most people ignore them. Even more worrying are the symptoms of lung cancer at an advanced stage, when the chances of a cure are already low. These are usually the symptoms that make people visit the doctor. This is how advanced-stage lung cancer manifests itself.

Chest pain. There are no nerve endings in the lung itself, but they are in the pleura, and constant severe pain is a sign that the tumor has reached the pleural area. With central localization of the neoplasm, pain occurs earlier, with peripheral later. Often, patients complain of pain in the shoulder and outer side of the arm. This means that the nerve fibers are affected.

Hack an excruciating cough with phlegm. Blood or pus is often seen in the sputum. Shortly thereafter, hemoptysis began.

Hoarse or hoarse voice.

Swallowing disorders. The tumor can grow into the wall of the esophagus and make it difficult to swallow even liquid food.

Enlarged lymph nodes that are visible above the collarbone.

Method of diagnosis, or How to determine disease

If at least one of these symptoms appears, you should immediately consult a doctor. Perhaps the suspicion is unfounded, but only a doctor can determine whether the disease is caused by cancer or something else. To identify or exclude oncology, several examinations will be required.

Clinical examination

Even if the doctor is not at all sure that it is cancer, he will listen to complaints and prescribe a standard examination with laboratory tests.

X-ray examination (X-ray, CT)

It is a very accurate and non-invasive method of examination. If lung cancer is suspected, X-rays of the organs of the chest cavity are performed in two projections. Sometimes, to clarify the diagnosis, computed tomography is also prescribed - this examination is necessary to determine the stage of lung cancer before surgery.

Bronchoscopy

Almost all patients with suspected central lung cancer undergo bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsy (this is done to clarify the extent of the tumor). Bronchoscopy allows you to examine all parts of the bronchi.

Transthoracic puncture biopsy

This method is only used when lung cancer cannot be diagnosed any other way. Transthoracic puncture of the tumor is performed under X-ray or CT control. This examination is often prescribed in cases of the development of peripheral carcinoma. The material obtained during the biopsy is examined cytologically.

Evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status

Molecular genetic diagnostics are performed to detect mutations in receptors. In non-small cell lung cancer without metastatic formation, with identified mutations, the effectiveness of chemotherapy based on EGFR inhibitors is increased. That is why this study was carried out before prescribing the drug.

PET and CT examination

Positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography is a modern method for diagnosing cancer. It is used to determine the degree of spread of lung cancer, based on which the doctor chooses a further treatment regimen, as well as to follow up the "reaction" of the disease to ongoing therapy.

Most often, lung cancer is detected in the third or fourth stage, when treatment is no longer as effective as at the beginning of the disease. That's why it's so important to have regular checkups. If lung cancer is detected, it is important not to lose self-control, to assess the situation wisely, and not to waste time on ineffective treatments, folk remedies, and long waiting times for examinations in public hospitals. It is better to immediately start looking for a clinic where the patient's health will be treated quickly and take into account individual characteristics. Chances of healing can be increased by contacting a foreign hospital. In this case, it is important to carefully consider the choice of the country and the intermediary company.