Lung cancer is one of the most deadly cancers in the world. It kills millions of people every year. The fact that it often goes unnoticed at first is what makes it so dangerous. It may be harder to treat the disease by the time most people realise something is wrong.
It can be hard to tell if you have early-onset lung cancer. A constant cough, mild shortness of breath, or feeling more tired than usual could all be mistaken for a cold, a cough from smoking, or even stress. But it can be very helpful to know how these symptoms change as lung cancer gets worse. Finding it early not only gives you more treatment options, but it also gives you a better chance of living longer and having a better quality of life.
We at Onco-Life Cancer Centre think that the first step to saving lives is to make people more aware. We are dedicated to helping patients and their families at every step of their care, from diagnosis to treatment. In Mumbai, there are experienced lung cancer specialists, and advanced cancer treatments are available all over Maharashtra.
What Is Lung Cancer And How Does It Happen?
Lung cancer begins when cells in the lungs proliferate excessively and form tumours. These tumours make it hard for the lungs to work. If these odd cells aren’t found and treated very away, they can move to other parts of the body.
There Are Two Main Types:
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): is the most common type. It has adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma in it.
- Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC): A more aggressive kind that spreads quickly.
People who don’t smoke are also at risk, but smoking is the biggest risk factor. Being around secondhand smoke, air pollution, chemicals at work, or having a family history of cancer for a long time can all raise the risk.
How the Signs of Lung Cancer Change Over Time
The way the symptoms show up will depend on how far along the cancer is. At first, they might not be clear or even there. The symptoms get worse as the disease spreads, and they can’t be ignored.
Stages I and II: Signs that are small and easy to miss.
- At first, lung cancer hides behind things that seem normal. Many patients dismiss these warning signs as minor and avoid seeing a doctor.
- A cough that lasts for weeks and is dry or mild is a persistent cough. A lot of smokers call it a “smoker’s cough.”
- Shortness of breath: Tumours can block airways or cause fluid to build up, which can make it hard to breathe even after doing something light.
- People often mistake mild chest pain for a muscle strain when it is actually a dull, intermittent pain.
- Unexplained fatigue: Feeling tired even after getting enough sleep.
- Changes in appetite or weight: Not wanting to eat or losing weight for no reason.
Having bronchitis or pneumonia in the same area over and over again is an example of repeated lung infections.
Why people don’t pay attention to these warning signs: A lot of people don’t pay attention to them because they seem like normal breathing problems or the effects of getting older. But this is exactly when treatment can work best.
If you or someone you know has had a cough or trouble breathing for more than two to three weeks, see a lung cancer expert in Mumbai or go to a nearby cancer hospital for a low-dose CT scan.
By the time cancer reaches stages III and IV, it has reached a severe stage.
As the disease advances, the symptoms of lung cancer get more severe and easier to ignore. It is becoming increasingly harder to ignore them. It’s possible that the tumours have grown larger, blocked important airways, or spread to other organs and tissues in the body or even further away.
The following are some of the most common indicators:
- The cough is getting worse, becoming more painful, becoming deeper in character, and possibly producing blood (haemoptysis).
- Despite the fact that the patient is at rest, severe dyspnoea is frequently caused by pleural effusion, which is marked by fluid collection around the lungs.
- Pain in the chest, back, or shoulders that is persistent and gets worse when you take several deep breaths.
- Changes in the quality of one’s voice or hoarseness that are brought on by nerve damage.
- Weight loss that occurs suddenly and is accompanied by a decrease in appetite. Recurrent infections, such as pneumonia, do not completely disappear despite initial treatment.
- If the disease spreads to other parts of the body, more symptoms may appear, including the following:
- Pain and fractures are both present.
- In addition to cephalalgia, vertigo, debilitation, and convulsions, a neurological condition may also cause these symptoms.
- It is possible for the liver to become involved, which might lead to jaundice or stomach pain.
- The swelling of the face or neck that results from a restriction in blood flow.
Paraneoplastic syndrome is the term used to describe the condition that occurs when hormones that are associated with cancer generate peculiar symptoms such as night sweats, fevers that cannot be explained, elevated calcium levels, or issues with blood clotting.
The presence of these symptoms is an indication that the disease has advanced, and you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
What Factors Are Responsible For The Varying Symptoms That Occur Across The Various Stages?
In the first and second stages of lung cancer, the disease is localised to the lungs and causes symptoms such as pain, mild coughing, or difficulty breathing.
In the third stage, the tumours have spread to the lymph nodes and tissues that are next to them, which causes the patient to have continuous pain, coughing, and respiratory difficulties.
Symptoms such as weariness, weight loss, bone pain, and neurological difficulties are experienced by patients in the fourth stage of cancer, which occurs when the cancer has spread to multiple parts of the body.
In the event that patients and their families have an understanding of the nature of this progression, they will be able to determine when symptoms require medical attention. Both the identification of problems and the outcomes of treatment are improved as a result of this practice.
Techniques for the Characterisation of Lung Cancer
If symptoms continue to be present, doctors may suggest the following:
- For the purpose of identifying problems, we make use of low-dose CT scans or chest X-rays.
- An examination of the tissue to identify the type of cancer and the stage at which it has progressed.
- In order to detect whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body, a PET or MRI scan is performed.
- Blood tests to identify markers of tumours and to evaluate the patient’s overall health.
- There is a strong correlation between the early discovery of a disease and the availability of effective therapies, such as:
- Excision of tumours requires a procedure.
- Treatment with radiation for diseases that are localised.
- Cancers that have specific mutations can be treated with immunotherapy or targeted treatment therapies.
- Is it advisable to seek the advice of a lung cancer specialist at what point?
You shouldn’t wait till the symptoms get more severe. Visit a medical professional as soon as possible if you have any of the following symptoms:
- An episode of coughing or wheezing that continues for more than two to three weeks.
- Experiencing abnormal amounts of blood or mucus when coughing.
- Pain in the chest that does not go away or difficulty breathing either.
- Experiencing a sudden loss of weight or exhaustion that cannot be explained.
People who are at a high risk, such as smokers, people who have smoked in the past, or people who have been exposed to dangerous chemicals, should consider getting examined even if they do not have any symptoms.
Patients can receive all of their cancer care in one location at the Onco-Life Cancer Centre in Maharashtra. This facility provides patients with access to highly trained medical professionals, the most advanced diagnostic instruments, and innovative cancer treatments.
As A Conclusion, Being Aware Can Be A Factor In Saving Lives.
It is a terrible disease, but if you are aware of how the symptoms vary over time, you will be able to detect lung cancer at an earlier stage. It is important to not disregard even minor alterations, such as a cough that does not go away or a feeling of being more exhausted than usual.
