![What Are Strange Signs of Lung Cancer? 17 Unexpected Symptoms](https://images.medicinenet.com/images/article/main_image/human-tumor-lung-cancer-anatomy-illustration-rendering.jpg?output-quality=75)
Lung canceroften causes typical signs such as persistentcough,coughing up blood,chest pain, and difficultybreathing.
However, sometimes lungcancer causessurprising symptoms that do not appear to be related to thelungs.Here are 17 strange signs oflung cancerto look out for.
17个意想不到的肺癌的症状
- Arm orshoulder pain:One type of lungcancer(Pancoast tumor) develops in the upper lobe of the lung. This tumor can potentially spread to the bone and cause shoulder bladepainand dull aches in the upper back or arms. It may cause numbness or pins and needles sensation in your hands as well.
- Weight fluctuations:Unintentionalweight lossdespite eating regular meals is a warning sign of anycancer. In some cases, small-cell lungcancercan cause the body to make the adrenocorticotropic hormone, which causes the body to make excess cortisol, leading to fluid retention andweight gain.
- Blood clots:Lung cancer increases the likelihood of developing blood clots (thromboembolism) in the legs, arms, or lungs. These may present as sudden breathlessness (lung embolism),painin the extremities (clot in a blood vessel supplying the extremities),abdominal pain(abdominal blood vessel occlusion due to embolism), andstrokeorheart attack.
- Bone pain:Lung cancer can spread to the axial and extremity bones, causing bone pain. Pain in the extremities or back can be excruciating and often worsens on movement or at night.
- Weak bones:Sometimes, lung cancer cells spread to the bone and causeweakness. Weakened bones are prone tofractureon minimaltrauma, such as a minor fall.
- Balance problems:A tumor located near the major vein, superior vena cava (SVC), can cause blood to back up in the vein. Because the SVC carries blood from the head-arm region back to theheart, a tumor can causedizziness, balance loss, or constant stumbling.
- Headaches:Headachescan be caused by a tumor near the SVC. High blood calcium levels or the backflow of the blood is thought to causeheadachesin such cases.
- Clubbed fingers (fatter fingers):Lung cancer has been linked to clubbed fingers, which is where the ends of the fingers appear thicker. Nails may look curved, and the skin surrounding them may appear shiny.
- Stomach problems:Paraneoplastic syndromeis a constellation of symptoms that accompany lung cancer due to an altered immune response to cancer cells. Paraneoplastic syndrome causeshypercalcemia(raised blood calcium levels) that can causeconstipation, stomachaches, orbloating.
- Extremethirstandfrequent urination:Higher levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia) can cause digestive problems, extreme thirst, and frequent urination.
- Fatigue:Lung cancer can causeanemia, which results infatigue. Additionally, cancer cells compete with normal cells fornutritionand can deplete the body of energy, causing metabolic starvation and exhaustion.
- 心problems:High calcium levelsandanemiacan cause rapid or irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias. You may feel this as a missed beat, abnormalflutterin the chest, orchest pain.
- Puffiness:A lung tumor presses on the large vein that carries blood from the head and arms and can cause swelling in the face, neck, and arms due to the backflow pressure.
- Horner syndrome:Horner syndrome is a condition that causes drooping of theeyelid, a constricted pupil, and decreasedsweatingon one side of the face that may progress to facialparalysis. It is associated with advanced cases of lung cancer and occurs after cancer has spread into the nerves in the neck.
- Gynecomastia:In some cases, cancer can disrupt testosterone levels, causing swelling and tenderness in the male breast region.
- Suddensmoking cessation:Experts believe cancer cells in the lungs interfere with nicotineaddiction. If you suddenly do not have the urge to smoke as much as you did before, it could be a sign of lung cancer.
- Anxietyanddepression:People with lung cancer are more likely to experiencemood swings,depression, and other nonspecificmental healthissues that require treatment.
Medically Reviewed on6/28/2022
References
Image Source: iStock image
WebMD. Surprising Signs You Might Have Lung Cancer. https://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/ss/slideshow-lung-cancer-surprising-signs
American Cancer Society. Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html
WebMD. Surprising Signs You Might Have Lung Cancer. https://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/ss/slideshow-lung-cancer-surprising-signs
American Cancer Society. Signs and Symptoms of Lung Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html
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