Lung Cancer Chemotherapy

Archive for November, 2009

In approximately 25% of people with lung cancer, there are no symptoms and the cancer is detected during screening or a routine physical examination. However, in three-quarters of lung cancer patients there are warning symptoms and signs that can alert the patient or their physician.Most commonly, lung cancer patients experience respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, hoarseness and a persistent cough. These symptoms are very common among smokers, and are also present in a number of other conditions such as asthma, emphysema and chest infections. A new cough should always be evaluated, as it may be a symptom of lung cancer. Lung cancer may spread to the chest wall, causing chest, shoulder and back pain. If cancer cells erode lung blood vessels, the patient may cough up blood. There may also be other generalized effects that occur with most cancers, such as fever, fatigue, appetite loss and weight loss.As a lung cancer grows, it increasingly compromises the normal functioning of an affected lung. Secondary complications may occur, such as collection of fluid in the tissue lining the lungs (pleural effusion), lung collapse, airway obstruction, and repeated lung infections. Lung cancer may also spread or metastasize to other parts ...

The implications of lung cancer are fatal and hence its seriousness cannot be undermined. Though steps cannot always be taken to prevent the disease, its symptoms can be understood and the paranoia reduced. A basic awareness of lung cancer symptoms can help us combat the disease.The following are the frequently reported symptoms of lung cancer: The shortness of breath, which is more commonly known as dyspnea, is a symptom. Though excessive physical activity warrants dyspnea, it is also a lung cancer symptom. The coughing up of blood, which is medically known as hemoptysis, is an indication. It should not be confused with hematemesis, which denotes blood vomiting. An ache while coughing could be a warning. When there is an uncommon change in the pattern of coughing, lung cancer should be suspected. Weight loss, extreme exhaustion and a lack of desire for food, also called cachexia, can also be considered a symptom. Chest pain, which again is associated with heart disease and other medial causes, is a sign of lung cancer. The following are the less common symptoms of lung cancer: Hoarseness in voice, medically termed as cachexia, is an indication the disease. A complication in swallowing, also known as dysphagia, ...