12 Lung Cancer Symptoms – Causes, Risk Factor, Diagnosis & Treatments

Lung Cancer Symptoms – Cancer is known to be the cause of millions of deaths each year around the world. The World Health Organization believes lung cancer is among the most common types of cancer when it comes to deaths each year. The latest data points suggest that back in 2021, lung cancer caused more than 1.8 million deaths worldwide.

The United States is also not far behind. The American Cancer association believes the United States has already recorded more than 250,000 cases of lung cancer by August 2022. It’s only been seven months in 2022, and the United States has already recorded more than 130,000 deaths due to the disease.

Today we are here to talk about everything regarding lung cancer symptoms. Health experts around the world, including the World Health Organization, believe that the treatment of lung cancer can be very easy if you understand the signs and symptoms of lung cancer. 

At the same time, the treatment of lung cancer can also be very easy if a person can get diagnosed in the early stages. We will talk about everything regarding lung cancer, starting from its symptoms to its diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms of lung cancer

Similar to any other disease in the world, lung cancer also has some symptoms associated with the disease. The American Cancer Society, along with the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, believe early detection of lung cancer is very important.

Early detection can highly impact your overall treatment of lung cancer. Another thing you should keep in mind is that the below-given symptoms might also be associated with several other conditions. 

The below-given symptoms of lung cancer are not just exclusively associated with the condition. Rather than self-diagnosing yourself, read lung cancer by taking a look at your symptoms, and the below-given list of health experts around the world will suggest you consult with your healthcare provider. 

• Uncontrolled coughing
• Blood in cough
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing sound
• Unexplained tiredness
• Unexpected weight loss
• Bone pain
• Headache
• Loads of repeated
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling on the face and around the neck

You can see in the above-given list of symptoms associated with lung cancer that these symptoms might also be associated with several other diseases which are not going to be cancer. 

Rather than jeopardizing your mental health by self-diagnosing yourself as affected by lung cancer, we suggest everyone consult with their health care provider.

Lastly, similar to any other cancer in the world, lung cancer also does not cause any signs or symptoms when it is in its early stages. People usually experience the above-given list of symptoms associated with the condition once the cancer is already at the third or 4th stage.

Causes of lung cancer

Health experts around the world are divided into different sections. 

A huge number of health experts around the world, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease control and prevention, will leave the major cause of lung cancer as smoking and secondhand smoke. 

Health experts have also diagnosed cases of lung cancer. Every person has never smoked in their lifetime and Who never had prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke. In those cases, health experts, including the CDC, do not know the major cause of lung cancer.

Risk factors of lung cancer

As per the statistics, there are a huge number of risk factors that you should keep in mind. If you fall in any of the below-given risk factor categories, it means you are more likely to get diagnosed with lung cancer.

• Health experts around the world say people who smoke regularly are more vulnerable to getting diagnosed with lung cancer. Your chances of getting lung cancer might be based on how many times you have smoked in a day and how many years you have smoked constantly.
• Even if you do not smoke, but get exposed to secondhand smoke, there is a higher risk for you to be diagnosed with lung cancer as compared to a person who has never smoked and never been exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Apart from smoking, people who have gone through radiation therapy for other types of lung cancer or any other disease have more chances of developing lung cancer.
• People who have been exposed to radon gas are also at a higher risk of getting diagnosed with lung cancer. 
• Family history with similar diseases can also highly impact your chances of getting lung cancer. If anyone in your family has ever been diagnosed with a similar condition, then you should consult with your healthcare provider.

Diagnosis of lung cancer

Before we wrap this session by talking about the prevention and treatment options of lung cancer list first discuss the diagnosis process.

Similar to any other cancer in the world, the tiger gnosis of lung cancer can be very important for the treatment and overall recovery. Health experts around the world believe that early diagnosis of lung cancer can even save a person’s life.

Once you visit your health care provider for the diagnosis of lung cancer, your doctor might suggest you go for a low-dose CT scan. It is among the most popular types of diagnosis for every healthy person who does not have any symptoms of lung cancer but they are more vulnerable to developing it.

Advanced tests

Apart from low-dose CT scans, your doctor might suggest you go for some advanced tests to diagnose lung cancer. If you have read about other types of lung cancer, then you might already know about these tests.

First of all, your doctor might suggest that you go for an X-ray image of your lungs which will let your doctor know about any abnormal mass in your lungs. It is also a very effective way to check the size of cancer.

Along with that, your doctor might also suggest you go for a biopsy when it comes to the diagnosis of lung cancer. There are a few different ways your doctor can use to perform a biopsy. Usually, doctors suggest going for a bronchoscopy. During the procedure, your doctor is going to take a sample, and the laboratory will later check for any cancer cells in the sample.

Treatment of lung cancer

There are several options available when it comes to the treatment of lung cancer. Your doctor will suggest you go for cancer treatment based on a huge number of factors. 

• Stage of the cancer
• Age of the patient
• Other medical condition
• History with cancer

These are among the few Factors your doctor is going to discuss with you before they start your treatment of lung cancer. There are some side effects associated with every treatment of lung cancer, and that is why your doctor can also suggest you not go for any treatment. The side effects of lung treatment might outweigh the potential benefits.

Surgery

Most times, health experts suggest surgery when it comes to the treatment of lung cancer. During the procedure, your surgeon is going to remove cancer and a margin of healthy tissue. There are different types of surgeries available for lung cancer, and the selection depends on the stage of the cancer.

Radiation therapy

Apart from surgery, radiation therapy is also a very popular choice of treatment for lung cancer. During the treatment, medical professionals are going to use high-powered energy beams from sources such as X-rays to kill cancer cells within the lungs. 

 Sometimes, when cancer has already spread, your health expert might combine radiation therapy along with surgery. At the same time, your doctor might also combine it with chemotherapy. The type and combination of treatment depend on the condition of the patient.

Prevention of lung cancer

Health experts around the world have a huge list of suggestions when it comes to the prevention of lung cancer. Even though the below-given suggestions might not work for everyone, you can follow them to lower your chances of getting lung cancer.

• People who have never smoked in their life are suggested never to start it. Health experts around the world suggest every parent should teach their children and let them know the major risks of smoking.
• If you are a smoker, then quit it as early as possible. Studies have already found that quitting smoking can reduce the chances of you getting lung cancer.
• If possible, then you can also avoid any secondhand smoke. Apart from smoking, secondhand smoke is the second most major cause of lung cancer.
•  Studies have found that diets full of fruits and vegetables can also lower your chances. If you do not have a healthy diet plan, then we will suggest you go for a diet with fruits and vegetables.