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Non-small cell lung cancer - Symptoms

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Alternative Names

Lung cancer - non-small cell; NSCLC

Symptoms:

Lung cancer is unlikely to produce symptoms until the disease is advanced. When symptoms develop, they may result from the lung tumor itself, from its effects on tissues outside the lung, or from the spread of cancerous cells to other organs.

Initial symptoms

The first symptoms of lung cancer may include some of the following:

  • Frequent bouts of pneumonia, or pneumonia that does not clear up in a normal period of time
  • Coughing (particularly coughing up blood)
  • Weight loss
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain

Symptoms of Later Stages

Later-stage symptoms and complications include the following:

  • Shortness of breath: This common symptom is the result of cancer that has spread in the lung and the pleura -- the membrane covering the lung.
  • Superior vena cava syndrome: In some cases, tumor growth or spreading of the cancer presses against the superior vena cava, a large vein that returns blood from the upper part of the body to the heart. When this happens, a condition called superior vena cava syndrome may occur, leading to obvious swelling in the arms and face.
  • Trouble swallowing: The esophagus is the pipe that takes food from the mouth to the stomach. The cancer may spread to or press against the esophagus, interfering with swallowing and nutrition.
  • Hoarseness: Cancer can damage the nerves that control the voice box, causing hoarseness.
  • Pancoast syndrome: Damage to the brachial plexus, a group of nerves branching from the neck, can cause pain, weakness, or numbness in the arm or hand (Pancoast syndrome).
  • Bronchoalveolar lung cancer may produce very large amounts of mucus.
  • Hypercalcemia: Some lung cancers produce substances that remove calcium from bone and release it into the bloodstream, causing a condition called hypercalcemia. Patients with this disorder can experience nausea, vomiting, constipation, weakness, and fatigue.

Other lung cancers (usually small cell cancer) cause the body to retain water, lowering the blood's sodium levels. This condition, called hyponatremia, can produce confusion, weakness, and even seizures.

Resources

References

Alberg AJ, Ford JG, Samet JM; American College of Chest Physicians. Epidemiology of lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:29S-55S.

Aldington S, Harwood M, Cox B, Weatherall M, Beckert L, Hansell A, et al. Cannabis use and risk of lung cancer: a case-control study. Eur Respir J. 2008;31:280-286.

Bach PB, Silvestri GA, Hanger M, Jett JR. Screening for lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:69S-77S.

Fischer B, Lassen U, Mortensen J, et al. Preoperative staging of lung cancer with combined PET-CT. N Engl J Med. 2009;361(1):32-39.

Gill A. Bong lung: regular smokers of cannabis show relatively distinctive histologic changes that predispose to pneumothorax. Am J Surg Pathol. 2005;29(7):980-982.

Jett JR, Schild SE, Keith RL, Kesler KA. Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, stage IIIB: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:266S-276S.

Johnson DH, Blot WJ, Carbone DP, et al. Cancer of the lung: Non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKena WG. Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008:chap 76.

Lencioni R, Crocetti L, Cioni R, Suh R, Glenn D, Regge D, et al. Response to radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary tumours: a prospective, intention-to-treat, multicentre clinical trial (the RAPTURE study). Lancet Oncol. 2008;9:621-628.

Lilly Inc. Alimta Prescribing Information. Rev. 10/2008.

Mehra R, Moore BA, Crothers K, Tetrault J, Fiellin DA. The association between marijuana smoking and lung cancer: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jul 10;166(13):1359-67.

Molina JR, Yang P, Cassivi SD, Schild SE, Adjei AA. Non-small cell lung cancer: epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and survivorship. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008; 83(5):584-594.

National Cancer Institute. Lung Cancer Home Page. Bethesda, Md.: U.S. National Institutes of Health. Accessed August 3, 2008.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Version 2.2008. Accessed July 3, 2009.

Rivera MP, Mehta AC. Initial diagnosis of lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:131S-148S.

Robinson LA, Ruckdeschel J, Wagner H, Stevens CW. Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer-stage IIIA: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:243S-265S.

Sarafian T, Montes C, Harui A, et al. Clarifying CB2 receptor-dependent and independent effects of THC on human lung epithelial cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2008;231(3):282-290.

Scott WJ, Howington J, Feigenberg S, Movsas B, Pisters K. Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer stage I and stage II: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:234S-242S.

Shen KR, Meyers BF, Larner JM, Jones DR. Special treatment issues in lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:290S-305S.

Silvestri GA, Gould MK, Margolis ML, Tanoue LT, McCrory D, Toloza E, Detterbeck F. Noninvasive staging of non-small cell lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition). Chest. 2007;132:178S-201S.

Slatore CG, Littman AJ, Au DH, Satia JA, White E. Long-term use of supplemental vitamins, vitamin C, Vitamin E, and folate does not reduce the risk of lung cancer. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;177:524-530.

Tassinari D, Scarpi E, Sartori S, et al. Second-line treatments in non-small cell lung cancer. A systematic review of literature and metaanalysis of randomized clinical trials. Chest. 2009;135(6):1596-1609.

Ung YC, Maziak DE, Vanderveen JA, Smith CA, Gulenchyn K, Evans WK, et al. 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer: a clinical practice guideline. Cancer Care Ontario. 2007 (Evidence-based series; no.7-20).

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.

Yang P, Sun Z, Krowka MJ, Aubry MC, Bamlet WR, Wampfler JA, et al. Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency carriers, tobacco smoke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer risk. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1097-1103.

  • Reviewed last on: 7/23/2009
  • Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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