Lung cancer signs and symptoms.

Breathlessness Blockage in part of the airways (cancer) Rapid breathing Anxiety & panic Overuse of muscles in shoulders and upper chest Cancer treatments

Cough Debilitating and affect all areas of life, by causing: Distress Anxiety Sleep disturbance Tiredness Pain Loss of appetite.

Pain Pain can be due to tumour pressing on muscles or nerves. Pain can extend across the chest to other areas causing deferred pain. Pain after treatment

Managing pain Simple pain killers (using the pain ladder increase medication accordingly) Paracetemol-Codeine-Morphine etc Neuropathic pain (nerve pain use Amitriptyline etc.) Bone Pain (NSAIDs – ibuprofen, volterol etc.)

Tiredness / Fatigue Feeling of having no energy or strength Lacking in concentration Insomnia Memory problems

Weight loss / loss of appetite Reduction of the total body loss. 10% total loss of body mass is seen as a medical problem indicating an underlying disease. No appetite Difficulty swallowing

Constipation. Less frequent bowel movements Straining to pass motion Stools hard Feeling bloated and experiencing wind Pain in your stomach and back passage.

Hoarse voice Caused by tumour pressing on the laryngeal nerve (vocal cord palsy) likely to improve in some patients but not at all in some patients.

Clubbing Finger nail clubbing is associated with mainly non small cell lung cancer (54%). Clubbing may be present in one of five stages: [5] [5] 1.Fluctuation and softening of the nail bed (increased ballotability) 2.Loss of the normal <165° angle (Lovibond angle) between the nailbed and the fold (cuticula) 3.Increased convexity of the nail fold 4.Thickening of the whole distal (end part of the) finger (resembling a drumstick)distal 5.Shiny aspect and striation of the nail and skinstriation