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Lung Cancer: Its Warning Signs And Symptoms Revealed
Tens of thousands of people in the US and the UK per year pass away from it, making it one of the deadliest types of cancer.
Additionally, early-stage lung cancer typically exhibits no observable symptoms.
Only when the disease has advanced through the lungs and reached other regions of the body do warning signals typically start to appear.
Dame Esther Rantzen, 82, disclosed Thursday that she has brutal cancer, but she also said that she is “remaining positive.”
Its symptoms are often not noticeable until cancer has spread through the lungs, to other parts of the body
‘I am remaining optimistic’: Dame Esther Rantzen, 82, reveals she has been diagnosed with lung cancer ‘which has now spread’
Dame Esther Rantzen has said she is remaining ‘optimistic’ after revealing she has been diagnosed with lung cancer
She also revealed that she is undergoing tests to determine the best course of action and that the cancer has spread.
Dame Esther, the woman behind Childline and The Silver Line, claimed she was straining to “skulk around different hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise” and that’s why she wanted to share her diagnosis.
She said, “In the past several weeks, I’ve learned that I have lung cancer, which has spread.”
I’m currently undergoing tests to determine the best course of action.
‘I have decided not to keep this secret any more because I find it difficult to skulk around various hospitals wearing an unconvincing disguise, and because I would rather you heard the facts from me.’
She continued: ‘At the age of 82, this diagnosis has prompted me to look back over the years, and I want to express my profound thanks to everyone who has made my life so joyful, filled with fun, and with inspiration.’
She said her three children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua have been ‘the most wonderful support, company, and source of love and laughter’ and that her ‘amazing’ friends have given her ‘strength’.
Lung cancer kills almost 35,000 people each year in the UK and more than 127,000 in the US, figures show.
Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, accounting for more than 70 out of 100 cases, according to the NHS.
However, even people who have never smoked can also develop the disease, which mainly affects older people. More than four out of 10 people diagnosed are over 75.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer are the two main types of the illness (SCLC).
The disease’s less aggressive version, which makes up eight out of every ten cases, is the former.
The latter, small-cell lung cancer, is much more aggressive and typically advances more quickly. For SCLC, the survival rate is typically lower.
Until the disease has reached other parts of the body and passed via the lungs, symptoms may go unnoticed.
With only around 2 in 5 lung cancer patients living for at least a year following their diagnosis, this indicates that survival rates are lower than for several other cancers.
The third most common cancer, lung cancer kills almost 35,000 people each year in the UK and more than 127,000 in the US (file photo)
Only 1 PER CENT of Brits know the tell-tale symptoms of deadly cancers… so take this quiz to see if YOU fare any better
Awareness of symptoms of the most lethal types of cancer — including of the lung (pictured) — is dangerously low across the country, a coalition of cancer charities have warned
Main symptoms of lung cancer
One of the primary indicators of lung cancer is a chronic cough, especially one that worsens over time or one that doesn’t go away after three weeks.
Another typical symptom is breathlessness, which is defined as “becoming out of breath performing the things you used to do without a difficulty” by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Another potential symptom is having a persistent chest infection or recurring infections.
According to the NHS, other warning indications include shoulder pain, aches and pains when breathing or coughing, and coughing up blood. Tumors that are growing, spreading, and pressing against bones and nerves can cause these aches.
Coughing up blood (blood in phlegm) can also happen, as can persistent tiredness. Some cancers produce toxic substances which stop the production of potassium or calcium — which can cause sleepiness if levels are low, according to CRUK.
Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss is another one of the main symptoms of lung cancer.
When suffering from cancer, the immune system has to work harder and the body produces small proteins called cytokines — which may lead the body to burn calories quicker than normal and break down fat and muscle. This is called cachexia (wasting syndrome).
All of these symptoms could however be a sign of a different health problem that is not cancer, so you should see your doctor.
less common lung cancer signs and symptoms
According to the NHS, other lung cancer warning signs to look out for include a change in the appearance of your fingers and fingernails.
The condition, known as finger clubbing, causes some patients’ fingers and nails to swell.
According to CRUK, patients may also have joint pain and swelling.
Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA), which can arise as a result of compounds secreted by a tumour or the body as a response to it, causes finger clubbing and joint inflammation.
Having a persistent cough, such as one that doesn’t go away after three weeks or one that has been present for a while and is getting worse, is one of the key indicators of lung cancer.
Dysphagia, which is a less frequent symptom of lung cancer, is the inability or discomfort to swallow.
The direct result of tumors blocking the throat or an esophageal narrowing, according to the NHS, is one of the potential reasons for this.
A raspy voice is an additional uncommon sign of lung cancer. This happens when malignancies impact the laryngeal nerve and weaken or paralyze it, according to scientists.
According to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, wheezing may one day be a sign of lung cancer.
The charity claims that inflammation, blockage, or airway restriction can all contribute to wheezing.
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It also advised watching out for swelling in the face or neck because tumors might restrict the superior vena cava, a sizable vein in the chest that transports blood from the upper half of the body to the heart.