Approximately one-quarter of lung cancer patients report having no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. These cases are usually discovered as a result of tests performed for other medical reasons, such as pneumonia or heart disease.
The commonly reported symptoms are directly related to the behavior of the lung cancer. For instance, if the lung cancer has metastasized to the bones, there may be anything from tenderness to excruciating pain at the site.
Signs that cancer has spread to the brain include:
Seizures
Headaches
Blurry vision
Weakness
Loss of sensation in some body parts
In the lung itself, the cancerous invasion may cause:
Wheezing
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
Other symptoms include:
Pneumonia
Appetite/weight loss
Difficulty swallowing
Chills
Weakness
Pale skin
Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
Atrophy (muscle shrinkage)
Muscle contractions
Facial swelling or paralysis
Speech difficulties
Rust-colored or bloody sputum (phlegm, spit)
Horner’s Syndrome and Paraneoplastic Syndromes
There are other symptoms associated with lung cancer that fall under the categories of Horner’s syndrome and paraneoplastic syndromes.
Horner’s syndrome consists of a smaller pupil in one eye, weakness in that same eyelid, and an absence (or reduced amount) of perspiration (sweat) on that side of the face. These symptoms are caused by cancer-induced damage to a nerve that passes from the upper chest into the neck.
Paraneoplastic is Latin for “tumor-related.” Paraneoplastic syndromes are problems in other distant organs and tissues that are caused by tumor-produced substances that have traveled through the bloodstream. While the tumors are the direct cause of the disruptions, the cancer itself has not metastasized to those sites.
The paraneoplastic symptoms most often associated with SCLC are:
Blood clots—mostly in the leg veins, but they can also interrupt flow to the limbs or other internal organs.
Cerebellar degeneration—an unexplained loss of balance.
SIADH (syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone)—very low levels of salt in the blood, which causes restlessness, nausea, confusion, and weakness or cramps in the muscles.
The paraneoplastic symptoms most often associated with NSCLC are:
Blood clots
Gynecomastia—excessive breast growth in males.
Hypercalcemia—too much calcium in the blood, which causes (among other things) urination problems, constipation, confusion, dizziness, and other problems with the nervous system.
Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy—excess growth of certain bones.