Early symptoms of lung cancer

Every person should know theearliest symptoms of the lung cancer since it is estimated that in themajority of cases, more people die from this cancer than from the cancer ofsome other organ. Furthermore, it is also observed that it usually occurs in adultsfrom 45 to 70 yeast of age. Lung cancer can be primary, when itstarts within the lungs, or metastatic, when it starts somewhere else and thenexpands to the lungs.

There are several types of lungcancers divided according to the place where it originates. Bronchogenic carcinomastarts in the bronchi and can be further divided into various subtypes. Alveolar cell carcinoma, whichbelongs to the adenocarcinoma type of lung cancer, starts in the alveoli, whichrepresent the small air sacs found in the lungs.Some other types of lung cancers are sarcoma, bronchial carcinoid and chondromatoushamartoma, as well as lymphoma.

Causes of lung cancer

Tobacco smoke is the prime cause for the occurrence of the lung cancer, and oneshould know that not only the smokers can develop this cancer but also those who do not smoke, when they are frequently exposed to the tobacco smoke. It is estimated that even10-20% of the people who are smokers eventually develop this life threateningdisease.

The lung cancer can be also causedby the exposure to some substances such as asbestos, arsenic and nickel. Radiation andenvironmental pollution as well as genetics are also responsible for the occurrenceof lung cancer.

Early symptoms of lung cancer

Unfortunately, this disease has no easily noticeable and detectable early signs. It happens that the symptoms begin toappear when it is already late and when the cancer has already largely progressed.

In the early stages, the lungcancer can be only detected by an X-ray examination of the chests orderedfor discovering some other health condition. However, the early symptoms that mayalso appear usually include constant cough that aggravates over time,pain in the chest and shortness of breath accompanied by hemoptysis, which isthe medical name for the coughing up phlegm with blood.

Furthermore, wheezing, hoarseness, unexplainedweight loss and swollen face and neck, as well as recurring pneumonia andbronchitis are also the early symptoms of lung cancer. This serious disease may also causedifficulty when swallowing, clubbing of the nails, pain in the muscles andbones. Some of the early symptoms of the lung cancer are also breastenlargement in men, paleness of the skin, or even bluish skin and the droopingof the eyelids.