you’re able to also get it for seemingly no reason at all.
Theres a stigma attached to lung cancer associated with smoking and thats just not true, Dr. Puri says.
Vassallo was considered low-risk for lung cancer and didnt qualify for any screenings.
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Thats why its helpful for all adults to be aware of lung cancer signs and symptoms.
Heres what to watch for.
Your cough just wont quit.
Early-stage lung cancer typically impacts how your respiratory systema.k.a.
Its much more common to have an infection or even pneumonia than it is to have cancer.
Cancer wont let up.
Anything that lingers two weeks or longer usually isnt great.
Its not like the infection your two-year-old gave you.
Youre just not getting better, Dr. Puri adds.
Dr. Chiang says that some tumors can also cause you to have problems swallowing.
In lung cancer, theres a nervea recurrent laryngeal nervethat feeds your voice box.
So sometimes my patients will also have hoarseness thats developed.
Bottom line: If thecough lasts more than a few months, get it checked out.
Youve got unexplained aches or pains.
Vassallo lived with an annoying cough for two months before a sharp, menacing pain settled into her chest.
Her doctors initially misdiagnosed it as anxiety, and thenasthma.
Turns out, Vassallo had a tumor behind her heart that doctors kept missing in X-rays.
The chest isnt the only spot that might feel heavy or tight, Dr. Chiang says.
The main thing to look for?
Its newand not letting up.
Youre strangely short of breath.
Vassallo was super active before her lung cancer symptoms settled in.
So when she started having issues with her breathing, it was particularly noticeable.
Vassallo was a generally athletic person, so her lung capacity changes were stark.
But what if youre not logging miles on a daily basis?
Youre dropping weight without trying.
According to Dr. Chiang, weight loss is often associated with all types of cancer, not just lung.
Thats because cancer cells use a lot of sugar, and sometimes people lose their appetite, she notes.
So whats a red flag?
Youve developed blood clots.
Clots can be particularly prevalent in lung cancer, Dr. Puri says.
I recall one of my patients who was extremely active.
He used to bike, had his own company, and just had a blood clot out of nowhere.
Blood clots dont happen in healthy young people without risk factors.
In just two to three months, he started developing a mass in his neck.
It was lung cancer.
Vassallo also developed blood clots, something doctors only thought to scan for when she went to the ER.
How worried should I be about all of this?
Unfortunately, as Dr. Puri reiterates, lung cancerlike all cancerscan happen even when theres not a clear cause.
Radon is so under-recognized, she explains.
Its odorless and you cant see it.
It usually comes from the soil thats around your house.
Not every person who lives in a high-radon house has lung cancer.
Not everybody who smoked all their life has lung cancer, but yes, theyre risk factors.
Just because youve never smoked doesnt mean that you dont get access to one.
Its not about smoking or not smoking at all.
