Not An Ordinary Cough: Lung Cancer Symptoms That You Might Neglect

Lung cancer is one disease that has taken the lives of many individuals all over the world. As per Cancer Research UK, more than 40% of those diagnosed with the disease are those that are already aged 75 or older. Patients exhibit certain symptoms, and many attest that their cough has a certain prevalent characteristic.

Chesty Cough

Patients suffering from lung cancer warn of experiencing a chesty cough. Added to that, they find blood that comes with the phlegm. When this happens, you should not ignore it but immediately check with your general practitioner as it might already signal lung cancer.

According to Cancer Research UK, lung cancer has a lot of symptoms, but the most prevalent one is a chesty cough where the patient coughs up phlegm with the blood. Other symptoms include a change in a cough that you had been experiencing for a long time. Another symptom is when you suddenly start to get out of breath while doing things, which you used to do without encountering any issues.

Aside from the above, a chest infection, which does not seem to heal, could also signal lung cancer. Other symptoms that may look unrelated to the lungs yet could actually be a sign of lung cancer include fatigue, loss of appetite, shoulder or chest pain, and losing weight.

Possible Causes

There is no one definite cause of lung cancer, but health experts have found several possible causes. For instance, those who work in places where they are constantly exposed to chemicals are prone to develop lung cancer. Exposure to radon gas is another possible cause. Those who have a family history of lung cancer are also at a higher risk of acquiring the disease. In other cases, those who undergo treatment for other types of cancer are at a higher risk as well.

Common Treatments

Some of the common treatments of lung cancer include chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and also chemotherapy with radiotherapy. Along with these treatments, health experts recommend eating fresh, natural, or organic produce. Fruits and vegetables have always been among the highly-recommended foods for cancer patients.