What are the most common metastatic sites of lung cancer? Detailed description of the sites and symptoms where lung cancer is likely to metastasize

Although our country's medical technology is very mature, there are still many deficiencies in the treatment of lung cancer. We all know that the main reason why lung cancer is so terrible is that cancer cells are prone to metastasis. Here we will introduce to you the most common metastatic sites of lung cancer. Let's take a look!

1. Lung cancer brain metastasis:

Lung cancer patients may experience unexplained headaches, vomiting, visual impairment, and personality and temper changes due to intracranial hypertension or cranial nerve damage caused by lung cancer metastasis to the brain. This is common in small cell lung cancer and adenocarcinoma. Headache is the most common symptom. Vomiting often occurs when the headache is severe, characterized by projectile vomiting; visual impairment indicates that the tumor has affected, compressed or invaded the optic nerve. In addition to the above common symptoms, lung cancer brain metastasis may also cause diplopia, paroxysmal blackouts, cataplexy, impaired consciousness, increased blood pressure, slow pulse, and in severe cases, brain herniation may occur due to tumor compression, leading to respiratory arrest, endangering the patient's life. In addition, in recent years, due to the widespread use of brain CT examinations in lung cancer patients, many asymptomatic brain metastasis patients have been found, which has won time for treatment. Therefore, brain CT should be listed as a routine examination for patients diagnosed with lung cancer to detect brain metastasis as early as possible.

2Lung cancer liver metastasis:

The liver is also a common site of lung cancer metastasis, with about 28-33% of lung cancers metastasizing to the liver. Liver metastasis is when cancer cells of the primary lung cancer break off and invade the liver through the blood circulation and grow in the liver. Liver metastasis can be single or multiple nodular metastatic foci. The most common symptom is pain in the liver area.

3. Lung cancer bone metastasis:

Approximately 50% of lung cancer patients will eventually develop bone metastases in multiple locations. There are generally no symptoms in the early stages of bone metastasis, and bone isotope scanning can reveal diseased bones. Symptoms of bone metastasis are related to the location and number of tumor metastases. For example, chest pain caused by rib metastasis of lung cancer is often manifested as pain localized in the chest wall with clear tenderness points. Spinal cord metastasis causes pain in the middle of the back or the lesion site, while bone metastasis of the limbs or trunk causes localized pain in that area. Bone metastasis is not a direct cause of life threat to lung cancer patients, but if the tumor metastasizes to the body's weight-bearing bones such as the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae, it can cause serious consequences such as paralysis. Therefore, patients with bone metastasis of lung cancer should be treated promptly.

4.Lung cancer lymph node metastasis

If lung cancer metastasizes to the hilar lymph nodes, it can compress the airway, causing atelectasis, pneumonia, chest tightness and shortness of breath; if it metastasizes to the mediastinal lymph nodes, it can compress the recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing hoarseness, and compress the trachea, causing dyspnea; if it metastasizes to the supraclavicular or cervical lymph nodes, a hard, fused mass can be felt under the skin of the neck, which is often painless.