Lung cancernotbreastor uterine orovarian cancerclaims more womens lives every year than any other punch in of cancer.
So the majority of patients are diagnosed once the cancer is advanced and has spread elsewhere in the body.
you’ve got the option to learn more about thathere.
doyata/Getty Images
Still, its important to be aware of any unexplained changes to your breathing.
A new,chronic cough.
This is the symptom most likely to show up early on.
But a cough is a very non-specific symptom.
Both the common cold and flu can persist for a few weeks.
A new feeling of shortness of breath is another potential lung cancer symptom, according to theAmerican Cancer Society.
Any unexplained shortness of breath should be investigated by a doctor.
Some patients will cough up blood if the tumor is close to the bronchi, Dr. McKee explains.
If youre ever coughing up blood or rust-colored phlegm without explanationeven a small amountsee a doctor ASAP.
If youre also experiencing any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath, itsespecially importantto seek medical attention.
Any chest painthats persistent or severeshould be investigated.
Breathing issues associated with lung cancer dont always present as shortness of breath.
They might show up as something more subtle instead, such as hoarseness or wheezing, theACS explains.
In fact, the five-year survival rate for those diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer isunder 10 percent.
After a few weeks, the cough didnt go away.
I didnt want to make a big deal of it, so I didnt see my physician immediately.
I had even made an appointment three weeks into the cough, but I cancelled it.
A few weeks later, she finally decided to see a doctor.
The cough was dry, and it would come in intense waves.
After seeing a handful of doctors, she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.
As a never-smoker, this was an initial shock to me and everyone in my life, Palacios says.
Her symptoms started as wheezing during exercise, and her doctor prescribed an inhaler for activity-inducedasthma.
The medicine helped a little bit but never eliminated the symptoms, she tells SELF.
A few years later, Rivas developed a dry cough.
At first, it was just a lingering annoyance, but nothing that caused much concern, Rivas explains.
Within the year, it became more aggressive.
It sounded hollow or drum like.
It was coming from deep inside my chest and was very painful.
It was worse at night and was accompanied with a fever.
The coughing remained, but she never felt sick enough to see a doctor.
Eventually, Rivas went for an X-ray, and was diagnosed with pneumonia.
A few weeks later, she was very fatigued and had a fever.
And any unexplained sensation of having difficulty breathing deserves medical attention.
Those are all things you want your doctor to weigh in on, Dr. McKee says.
