Lung cancer is always silent when it comes, is it true?
"Did you hear that?" Recently, Lao Zhang went to the hospital to check and found lung cancer, usually he is so good, it is really unexpected. "A recent phone call from a friend surprised me, Lao Zhang is our mutual friend, only in his forties, good physical fitness, but recently found lung cancer, people can't help but sigh."
Regardless of men or women, lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor diseases, many friends have heard that lung cancer occurs without symptoms, and in fact, as a common cancer caused by mutations in lung cells, lung cancer may not necessarily be accompanied by clear symptoms at the beginning of the occurrence, but there are some symptoms of the disease, which is also worth our attention and actively checking for risks.
There are 6 aspects of the body, please pay attention to the early examination
The occurrence of cancer is often gradually progressive, and for lung cancer, some common disease manifestations are also worthy of our attention.
1. Long-term cough
Coughs that are difficult to recover for a long time, with sputum and blood in sputum, are typical symptoms of cancerous lung disease, which may also be accompanied by repeated respiratory infections and may delay the detection of lung cancer because of the diagnosis of bronchitis or pneumonia.
2. Respiratory effect, shortness of breath and accompanied by chest pain
Lung cancer will affect lung health, and the most direct impact is the impact of breathing, therefore, shortness of breath, breathing obstruction, chest pain, etc. are also typical lung cancer symptoms, at the same time, lung cancer may also lead to anemia problems, severe anemia will also bring shortness of breath and chest pain. Chest pain caused by lung cancer, unlike angina, tends to be persistent.
3, pestle finger
Certain types of lung cancer produce hormone-like chemicals that cause more blood to flow to the fingertips and associated tissues, eventually causing the tips to become thicker and larger, while the skin next to the nails becomes smooth and shiny, and if viewed from the side, the curvature of the nails is greater than normal, a problem known as "clubbing fingers".
About 80% of lung cancer patients will have symptoms of clubbing fingers, so if the fingers appear this change, it is worth paying special attention.
4. Hypercalcemia and anemia
About 10% to 20% of lung cancer patients will have elevated blood calcium, which we call hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia can cause abdominal pain, nausea, constipation and other symptoms, although feeling hungry and thirsty, but no appetite, and may also bring muscle spasms.
Patients with lung cancer, often accompanied by low red blood cell counts and anemia, because red blood cells can not carry more oxygen to the body, so they will feel tired and weak, this abnormal fatigue, deserve special attention.
5. Swelling of the neck and face
If the superior vena cava is blocked by a tumor, blood in the upper part of the body can stagnate, which can cause swelling of the neck, face, arms due to additional blood retention, and possibly blue-red skin on the chest.
6. Fatigue, pain, weight loss
Cancer cells will consume a lot of energy in the body, but also lead to a decrease in the level of red blood cells, as well as an increase in blood calcium, etc., these conditions, will bring fatigue to the body, if this continuous fatigue can not be improved, it should be noted.
Growing tumors will form a squeeze on the superior vena cava, narrowing the veins, making it more difficult for blood to pass, and insufficient blood supply will make people feel dizzy and headache. Small cell lung cancer can also affect your immune system and nervous system, which in turn can affect the normal functioning of your muscles, leading to feelings such as pain, weakness, and more.
Therefore, if symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, weight and appetite loss, recurrent fever, severe headaches and physical pain occur, you should also be alert to the risk of cancer, including lung cancer.
Who needs to be screened for lung cancer?
It should be clear that these related symptoms mentioned above are some physical manifestations that may occur when suffering from different types of lung cancer, but they do not appear above symptoms, they must have lung cancer problems, and other health problems may also cause the same physical performance, so careful screening and reasonable screening are very important.
Combined with their own risk situation, regular screening of lung cancer risk is the key to early detection and treatment of lung cancer. Which populations should focus on lung cancer screening?
The first is the smoking population, according to the guidance of the relevant prevention working group, between the ages of 50 and 80 years old, smoking more than 20 packs per year, currently still smoking or quit smoking for less than 15 years, should be regularly checked for lung cancer risk, if not smoked in the past 15 years, screening is not necessary.
In addition to smoking, other reasons may also lead to an increased risk of lung cancer, if you have a friend who:
People with long-term exposure to radon, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, silica, and asbestos chemicals
Patients who have had radiation therapy on the chest
A case where a parent, sibling, or child has lung cancer
There are cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or problems with pulmonary fibrosis
For lung cancer screening, X-rays of the chest may not be able to find problems, and the best way is to perform a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), which does not require fasting, nor does it require any special preparation, professionals only need to hold their breath for a few seconds when scanning, the whole process is generally about 10 minutes, through low-dose CT scans to obtain the preliminary diagnosis results, if there is a suspected lung cancer problem, it should also be further confirmed by other tests.
Final summary: For the prevention of lung cancer risk, you should first identify your own related risks, and then combine your age and related symptoms to conduct regular or timely lung examinations.
For some of the early problems found, timely response can reduce the risk of cancerous lung disease, if it can be combined with symptoms, early detection and early intervention in the early stage of lung cancer, it can also greatly improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients.
I hope that this popular science article can let everyone understand the relevant performance of lung cancer, and also be able to evaluate and understand their own relevant risks in combination with their own situation, do a good job in health examination in time, and achieve early detection and early control of problems.