Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Lung cancer history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Common symptoms of lung cancer include difficulty breathing, hemoptysis, chronic coughing, chest pain, weakness and wasting, difficulty speaking, and symptoms related to paraneoplastic syndromes.
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
History
- Specific areas of focus when obtaining the history are outlined below:[1]
- Age
- Family history of cancer
- Personal history of cancer
- Positive history of active/passive smoking
- Number of cigarettes/year
- Number of years/months of active smoking
- Number of years/months of second-hand smoking
- Number of years/months since smoking cessation
- Previous primary infection of tuberculosis
- Onset of pulmonary symptoms
- Previous or current lung disease, such as:
- Several patient factors may influence the likelihood of a benign versus a malignant condition; these include previous exposure to smoke or other carcinogens such as asbestos, and previously diagnosed cancer or respiratory infections.
- A patient with airway symptoms, especially hemoptysis, is more likely to have cancer compared to a patient with no respiratory symptoms.
Common Symptoms
Symptoms of Paraneoplastic Syndromes
- Various paraneoplastic phenomena can arise in the setting of lung cancer:[4][5]
Endocrine
Neurological
Other
References
References
- ↑ Kaerlev L, Teglbjaerg PS, Sabroe S, Kolstad HA, Ahrens W, Eriksson M, Guénel P, Gorini G, Hardell L, Cyr D, Zambon P, Stang A, Olsen J (2002). “The importance of smoking and medical history for development of small bowel carcinoid tumor: a European population-based case-control study”. Cancer Causes Control. 13 (1): 27–34. PMID 11899115.
- ↑ Hamilton, W (Dec 2005). “What are the clinical features of lung cancer before the diagnosis is made? A population based case-control study”. Thorax. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. 60 (12): 1059–1065. PMID 16227326. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Buccheri, G. (2004). “Lung cancer: clinical presentation and specialist referral time”. European Respiratory Journal. 24 (6): 898–904. doi:10.1183/09031936.04.00113603. ISSN 0903-1936.
- ↑ Honnorat, J (May 2007). “Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes”. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. BioMed Central Ltd. 2: 22. doi:10.1186/1750-1172-2-22. PMID 17480225. Retrieved 2007-09-05. Unknown parameter
|coauthors=ignored (help) - ↑ Kubo M, Ihn H, Yamane K, Kikuchi K, Yazawa N, Soma Y; et al. (2000). “Serum KL-6 in adult patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis”. Rheumatology (Oxford). 39 (6): 632–6. PMID 10888708.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Kim-Son H. Nguyen M.D. Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2] Shanshan Cen, M.D. [3]