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Lung cancer - Symptom

Alternative Names

Cancer - lung

Symptoms:

Early lung cancer may not cause any symptoms. Many times, lung cancer is found when an x-ray is done for another reason.

Symptoms depend on the specific type of cancer you have, but may include:

Additional symptoms that may also occur with lung cancer:

These symptoms can also be due to other, less serious conditions, so it is important to talk to your health care provider.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your medical history. You will be asked if you smoke, and if so, how long you have smoked.

When listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the health care provider can sometimes hear fluid around the lungs, which could (but doesn't always) suggest cancer.

Tests that may be performed include:

  • Chest x-ray
  • Sputum cytology test
  • Blood work
  • CT scan of the chest
  • MRI of the chest
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

In some cases, the health care provider may need to remove a piece of tissue from your lungs for examination under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. There are several ways to do this:

  • Reviewed last on: 7/31/2006
  • Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Mason RJ, Murray J, VC Broaddus, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2005:1311-1409.

Gallus S. Smoking high tar cigarettes increases risk of death from lung cancer, but no differences in risk for smokers of very low, low and medium tar cigarettes. Evidence-based Healthcare. Aug 2004; 8(4); 207.

Sugimura H. Long-term survivorship in lung cancer: a review. Chest. Apr 2006; 129(4): 1088-97.