Lung cancer begins in the lungs. Most often, it is found in the people who smoke. Lung cancer is caused by smoking, exposure to toxins, and family history as well. People having lung cancer tend to go through weight loss, coughing which includes blood, breathing with a rattling sound, chest pain.

9 Surprising Signs Of Lung Cancer That Don’t Involve The Lungs

The beat in lung cancer is that the symptoms don’t show up in an individual until and unless it is at its advanced stage. Certain treatments can cure lung cancer like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immune therapy, surgeries.

There are two major types of lung cancer,

  • Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): About 80% to 85% of people who have lung cancer are of type NSCLC.
  • Small cell lung cancer: About 10% to 15% of people who have lung cancer are of type SCLC.

Lung cancer

Signs of Lung Cancer That Don’t Involve the Lungs

Most of the people tend to believe that if an individual has cancer of some body part, the symptoms will be related to that particular body part only. It may be true to some extent, but it is also true that many cases have been identified when a person develops symptoms not related to the body part. In the case of lung cancer, an individual develops lungs related symptoms but also develops signs which are not related to the lungs. They are:

  • Swelling of face and neck: Lung cancer can cause severe swelling when the tumor presses the vein that is directed from head to heart. This vein is called superior vena cava due to which the symptom is called superior vena cava obstruction. Swelling around the eye and face after a person wakes up in the morning, swelling of the neck, arms, and torso, redness of the face and palms are gradually developing signs of lung cancer. An immediate medical requirement is mandatory at such conditions.
  • Spontaneous smoking abandonment: Smoking is a habit that cannot be ceased easily. Smokers tend to find it easy to quit smoking before getting diagnosed with lung cancer. Researches have proven the fact that even before finding any symptoms or getting diagnosed, many people tend to stop smoking that particular time even though that individual has many failed attempts in the past.
  • Fingernail clubbing: Clubbing of nails can occur at the early stage; the ends of the fingers become broader than usual, nails tend to get curved, the nail bed may be soft. It is better to have a checkup if any of these signs are noticed to draw attention to lung cancer.
  • Pain in shoulder, spine, arms, and head: Shoulder pain can be accounted to be the first symptom of lung cancer. This kind of shoulder pain is quite similar to the pain that an individual experiences after any normal injury. Shoulder pain-causing lung cancer does not resolve itself after weeks, occurs while resting even after the person does no struggling activities.
  • Swollen stomach: Lung cancer can make you feel sick. Swelling of the stomach, weight loss is the other signs of lung cancer. Jaundice like signs, yellowing of eyes is also seen. Abdominal pain is caused, which obstructs the bowel movements.
  • Horner syndrome: This syndrome usually affects the lymph vessels, the region between the lungs, nerves, and ribs. The signs are weakness in the hands and fingers accompanied by the tingling sensation, pain in the arm and shoulders. Horner syndrome occurs with a Pancoast tumor.
  • Never ignore dizziness: Dizziness and fatigue are the early signs where severity increases as the individual approaches death. Fatigue can have multiple reasons, but it is always advisable for an individual to have a thorough checkup to understand the root cause of dizziness. Respiratory problems can cause dizziness, which is also a sign of lung cancer.
  • Desire to frequently urinate and high consumption of water: Most of the time, high calcium levels are associated with frequent urination and thirst, and that could be an early sign of cancer. Most people tend to ignore it, blaming it on the weather, but sometimes it could also be an early sign.
  • Change in the voice: Lung cancer can affect the vocal cord of an individual, which leads to weakening or altering of voice. Tumors in the left lung initiate putting pressure on the nerve, causing hoarseness of the voice. Voice modulation can happen due to many reasons, and one of them is constant tobacco smoking, but it always better to be sure the reason behind any of the signs

Conclusion

Signs of lung cancer tend to appear as cancer develops to be severe. Identifying lung cancer at early stages is a strenuous task. Still, if a person undergoes routine checkups and ensures that every health-related sign gets addressed, it would help identify and work towards the treatment of cancer.

It is always better to prevent than cure. The signs that are not related to the lungs can also cause lung cancer. Hence, you should keep a tab on your health so that all the early signs of lung cancer will be caught at the right time.