Lung Cancer is
commonly associated with people who smoke, but the reality is not everyone who
smokes gets cancer.
August 1 is World
Lung Cancer Day. According to the American
Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men
and women (not counting skin cancer) and is by far the leading cause of cancer
death among both men and women. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than
of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.
Some people with
early lung cancer have symptoms, but most lung cancers do not cause any
symptoms until they have already spread. “If you talk to your provider when you
first notice symptoms, your cancer might be diagnosed at an earlier stage when
treatment is more likely to be effective,” says Dr. Christopher Peterson,
Aspirus Medical Oncologist. “In addition, even if you do not have symptoms, you
should discuss your history of smoking with your provider.”
The most common
symptoms of lung cancer are:
- A cough that does
not go away or gets worse.
- Coughing up blood or
rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
- Chest pain that is
often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
- Hoarseness
- Weight loss and loss
of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or
weak
- Infections such as
bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
- New onset of
wheezing
- If lung cancer
spreads to distant organs, it may cause:
- Bone pain (like pain
in the back or hips)
- Nervous system
changes (such as headache, weakness or numbness of an arm or leg, dizziness,
balance problems, or seizures), from cancer spread to the brain or spinal cord
- Yellowing of the
skin and eyes (jaundice), from cancer spread to the liver
- Lumps near the
surface of the body, due to cancer spreading to the skin or to lymph nodes
(collections of immune system cells), such as those in the neck or above the
collarbone
Most of these
symptoms are more likely to be caused by something other than lung cancer.
Still, if you have any of these problems, it’s important to see your doctor
right away so the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
Aspirus Cancer Care
will be holding a screening clinic for lung cancer on Friday, September 9,
2022, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on the Aspirus Wausau campus. For more
information, visit aspirus.org/classes-events/lung-cancer-screening.