Clinical manifestations of lung cancer

The clinical manifestations of lung cancer are closely related to the location and size of the tumor, whether it compresses and invades adjacent organs, and whether it metastasizes. Due to its hidden onset, it does not have many early symptoms, and some people are not even aware of it, and only occasionally discover it during a physical examination. Once there are obvious symptoms, it is often close to the middle and late stages, at which time treatment is very difficult, and the patient's mortality rate is high. Therefore, for lung cancer, early detection and early treatment are the most important.

The following symptoms and signs are helpful for early diagnosis of lung cancer:

1. Sudden dry cough and choking cough for more than two weeks, and anti-inflammatory treatment is ineffective, or the original chronic cough suddenly changes in nature. When the tumor continues to grow and affects bronchial drainage, secondary lung infection may occur, and purulent sputum may be present, and the amount of sputum will also increase compared to before.

2. Sudden blood in sputum and unbearable chest pain without obvious explanation. Usually there are blood spots, blood threads or intermittent small amounts of hemoptysis in the sputum. Large amounts of hemoptysis are rare. Mild chest pain is also quite common in early lung cancer cases. Most of them are irregular dull pain caused by inflammation of the parietal pleura and chest wall. Continuous and severe chest pain often indicates that the cancer has directly spread and invaded the pleura and chest wall tissues, and the cancer has entered the late stage.

3. Lung auscultation reveals localized wheezing, whistling, and snoring sounds that do not change due to coughing.

4. People who have repeated inflammatory changes somewhere in the lungs.

5. Patients with localized increase in lung texture or localized emphysema that cannot be explained by general tracheitis.

6. People who smoke for a long time, have changes in cough, and have blood in sputum.