In its early stages, lung cancer typically doesn’t show any physical signs or symptoms. Symptoms of lung cancer normally appear when the cancer is more developed, making it difficult to find early.

Listed below are some of the most common symptoms associated with lung cancer.

• A new cough which doesn’t go away
• Changes in a “smoker’s cough” or chronic cough
• Coughing up blood even in very small amounts
• Hoarseness in voice
• Shortness of breath and or chest pain
• Wheezing
• Dramatic unexplained weight loss
• Bone pain
• Chronic headache

When to see a doctorMake an appointment with your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms that worry you. if you’re a smoker and would like to quit, greatly lowering your risk of getting lung cancer, talk to your doctor about the many options available.

How smoking can cause lung cancerDoctors think smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When one inhales cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer causing carcinogens, changes in lung tissue begin quickly, almost immediately. Initially your body is capable of repairing this damage, but as you continue to smoke your lungs incur more and more damage. as you continue to smoke, damages cause your cells to begin acting abnormally, and eventually cancer can develop.

The two major types of lung cancerLung cancer is divided into two major types by doctors based on the lung cancer cells appearance under a microscope. Your doctor makes treatment decisions based on which major type of lung cancer you have. the two types of lung cancer are:

• Small cell lung cancer – This type of lung cancer usually appears almost only in heavy smokers, and is much less common.
• Non-small cell lung cancer – Non-small cell lung cancer is a term for multiple types of lung cancers that act in similar manners. Non-small cell lung cancers include adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Smoking, heavy drinking, and exposure to harmful chemicals are all things that can put you at risk for developing lung cancer. if you have concern that you could be developing lung cancer, or are experiencing any symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.

Lung Cancer Symptoms – what You need to Know

Lung cancer is a serious health problem affecting both men and women. It is the largest cause of cancer related deaths in men and is the second cause of cancer related deaths in women. what many people might not know is that lung cancer is the result of several different things and not just from smoking tobacco alone. Whatever the causes of lung cancer, it is important for us to know what the common lung cancer symptoms are so that we you take early remedial or corrective actions to contain or cure this deadly disease. Early effective medical intervention increases the percentage of an early cure from the disease.

Lung cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled cell growth in the lungs. Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer, accountable for about 87% of all lung cancer cases diagnosed. Cigarette smoke contains over 60 carcinogens which included the harmful and addictive nicotine. Prolonged exposure to the cigarette smoke (whether as an active or a passive smoker) can lower your body’s immune systems to fight the malignant cancer growth tissue. in addition to smoking, there are other causes of this disease like radon gas from the earths crust, asbestos and various viruses like the human papillomavirus, JC virus, simian virus 40 (SV40), BK virus and cytomegalovirus.

The specific noticeable lung cancer symptoms include the dyspnea or shortness of breath, hemoptysis or coughing up blood, chronic coughing, wheezing, chest or abdomen pain, weight loss, fatigue, and difficulty in swallowing. Cancer cells may grow in our  airway, obstruct the airflow and cause dangerous breathing difficulties. This can result in the cancer patient getting pneumonia which in turn causes muscle weaknesses and other symptoms. Surprisingly, lung cancer is often diagnosed after the patients goes in thinking they have pneumonia.

There are also many non-specific symptoms of lung cancer as well. These symptoms include bone pain, fever and weight loss. Lung cancer often spread to other parts of the body as well, including the bone, spinal cord, liver and the brain. This act of the cancer spreading is known as metastasis.

Being one of the most common forms of cancer, it is incredibly important for us to be informed of the many lung cancer symptoms.  It is also important for us to know what causes lung cancer so that we can take necessary precaution to reduce our chances of getting it. Obviously smoking is a horrible decision, not only for the cancer related reasons but also for our general health and well-being as well. but also knowing the other causes like radon gas, asbestos and the other various viruses is just as important as well. if you feel you have been exposed to any of these causes and have the lung cancer symptoms listed above, it is important that you consult your doctor early so that necessary diagnostic tests can be carried out to ascertain your health condition.

The preliminary signs of lung cancer include persistent coughing and chest pain, which are often mistaken for common ailments. Identify early lung cancer symptoms with helpful information from a practicing oncologist in this free video on cancer. Expert: Dr. Kenneth Fink Contact: nhhn.org Bio: Dr. Kenneth Fink has been a medical doctor in the field of internal medicine specializing in hematology and oncology for 23 years. Filmmaker: Reel Media LLCVideo Rating: 5 / 5