05:00 pm
Sunday 05 September 2021
Written by – Hind Khalifa
Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer worldwide and is often not caught early. Screening for lung cancer offers hope of detecting cancer early when treatment is easiest, so it’s important to look for early symptoms that people may usually ignore.
Detecting early signs of lung cancer can be difficult. Unlike other cancers, symptoms usually don’t appear until at an advanced stage. When a tumor grows large enough to press on other organs, it causes pain and discomfort. Sometimes, there are warning signs. A precedent we should look for, according to express.
Often, when patients receive a diagnosis of lung cancer, they experience symptoms such as persistent difficulty breathing, frequent respiratory infections, or chest pain for a while, but one is unlikely to recognize these symptoms as symptoms of lung cancer before it is too late. .
While not every cough or case of bronchitis is a reason to believe you have lung cancer, Russell Halls, MD, a radiation oncologist, said that if you’re at high risk of developing lung cancer, paying attention to early warning signs is critical.
Clinician at Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Center has also identified common symptoms of lung cancer to look for in order to detect the disease as early as possible – one of which can be evident in your voice, and they are as follows:
-Hoarseness:
A chronic cough or a tumor that interferes with the vocal cords can cause people with lung cancer to have a hoarse voice.
Chronic cough:
People with lung cancer often have a cough that does not go away. A chronic cough that lasts at least eight weeks.
Frequent respiratory infections:
Lung tumors can block the airway, causing frequent infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
coughing up blood:
Even if it’s just a small amount of blood, a cough with blood or bloody mucus is a reason to call your doctor.
-shortness of breath:
Lung cancer can narrow the airway, making it difficult to breathe.
Chest pain:
When a lung tumor causes tightness in the chest or compresses nerves, you may feel pain in your chest, especially when breathing deeply, coughing or laughing.
Finding lung cancer early in order to start treatment as soon as possible offers the best hope for fighting the disease, and according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, lung cancer waits for signs and symptoms until the cancer has reached advanced stages, where it is difficult to treat.
Lung cancer screening, a test that looks for cancer before symptoms appear, offers hope for early detection when surgery is a potential treatment. Moreover, there is little hope of curing the disease.
The majority of hoarseness experienced by lung cancer patients is caused by recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (paralysis or weakness of that nerve), and left lung tumors can compress the nerve, causing hoarseness or recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, although lung tumors Right is less common, but it can also cause recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy.
Several factors increase the risk of developing hoarseness in the general population:
Tobacco smoking
– gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
The use of voice in certain professions, such as teachers, actors, and singers
Environmental problems, such as poor acoustics, pollution and low humidity
“If someone has symptoms and is at increased risk of lung cancer, you should talk to your doctor about getting a routine check up,” Dr. Hals said.
Here are the people most at risk of developing lung cancer and likely to have hoarseness as a symptom:
Those with a history of excessive smoking (smoking at least one pack a day for 30 years).
Current smokers or former smokers who have quit within the past 15 years.
Those between the ages of 55 and 80.
.
