What are the symptoms of lung cancer ?

At least 10 years elapse between the development of the first cancer cells and the diagnosis of lung cancer.

At the beginning of the disease, there are no abnormal manifestations (symptoms) caused by lung cancer. This is why 6 out of 10 cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage.

One reason for this lack of symptoms at an early stage is that the lungs and small bronchi do not have nerve endings capable of sending signals causing pain. Symptoms appear when the large bronchi, blood vessels, lung walls, or pleura are affected.

They are dominated by local respiratory signs, which are not specific to the disease, with a persistent cough, with repeated fits of coughing, with no apparent cause.

The challenge for a patient who coughs frequently due to, for example, smoking is to differentiate between a usual cough and one that has changed due to cancer. Other local signs may be reported by patients, including blood-spitting called hemoptysis, or an increase in shortness of breath called dyspnea.

Hoarseness or lowering of the voice may also be observed. A fever and/or a respiratory tract infection (bronchitis/pneumonia) poorly controlled by usual antibiotic treatments may also be observed (source arcagy.org).

Other more general symptoms may be observed: loss of appetite (anorexia), abnormal fatigue (asthenia), weight loss, or fever without an obvious cause.

Who should be particularly attentive to symptoms suggestive of lung cancer ?

The local or general symptoms just described are not observed only in patients with lung cancer.

However, the appearance of these symptoms, especially if they are persistent, should be taken seriously, especially by smokers and people aged 40 or over. In practice, these individuals should consult their general practitioner who may refer them to a pulmonologist.

Other symptoms may appear in case of distant metastasis. Depending on the metastatic sites involved, there may be rather neurological symptoms if the metastases are cerebral. There may be significant, acute, or chronic, unexplained pain, especially in the spine, in case of bone metastases.

These various symptoms are often accompanied by a deterioration of the general condition with unusual fatigue requiring periods of rest during the day, loss of appetite, and often weight loss.

Are the clinical signs different in small cell and non-small cell lung cancer ? The clinical signs are generally comparable, whether it is small cell cancer or non-small cell cancer.

However, the speed of onset and the depth of the deterioration of the general condition, fatigue, and weight loss are often more pronounced in small cell cancer than in non-small cell cancer.