The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:
- A cough for three weeks or more
- A change in a cough you’ve had for a long time
- A chest infection that doesn’t get better, or repeated chest infections
- Feeling breathless and wheezy for no reason
- Coughing up blood
- Chest or shoulder pain that doesn’t get better
- A hoarse voice for three weeks or more
Other possible symptoms are:
- Losing weight for no obvious reason
- Feeling extremely tired (fatigue)
- The ends of fingers change shape – they may become larger or rounded (clubbing).
If you have any of these symptoms, it‘s important to have them checked by your GP. Some of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions or by smoking. Lung cancer is occasionally diagnosed by chance when a person is having tests for another condition. In this situation, the cancer is more likely to be at an early stage.
Diagnostic tests
Common diagnostic tests to identify lung cancer include:
- CT scan
- PET scan
- Bronchoscopy – this procedure involves passing examining the air passages in the lungs and will examines the airways. Biopsies are also usually taken
- Endobronchial ultrasound (often called EBUS) – this is similar to a bronchoscopy but also looks at the lymph nodes using an ultrasound probe and will take biopsies from these nodes
- Lung biopsy – this procedure involves getting a very small piece of lung tissue by passing a needle through the skin into your chest and into the lung
- Endoscopic ultrasound – this procedure examines and biopsies enlarged lymph glands that have been seen in the chest through the oesophagus(gullet). Biopsies are usually taken
- Fine needle aspiration – this procedure involves using a thin needle to remove samples of tissue (biopsy) or fluid from an organ of the body or a lump found under the skin. Often this is from a neck lymph node or from an organ such as the liver or adrenal gland.
- Removal of pleural fluid – if fluid builds up in the lining of the lung this will need to be removed to try to identify the cause. Sometimes large volumes of fluid can be removed and managed through various treatments.
- Lung function test – this test assess the function of the lungs by using a specialised breathing machine
- Exercise test – this tests assess the heart rate and blood pressure.
- Surgical bronchoscopy – this involves a general anaesthetic to allow the surgeon to examine the airways of the lung and to take a biopsy
- Mediastinoscopy – this involves a general anaesthetic to allow the surgeon to take biopsies of the lymph glands in the middle of the chest by using a small incision in the breast bone
- Mediastinotomy – this involves a general anaesthetic to allow the surgeon to take biopsies of the lymph glands that need to be taken through an incision in the upper chest wall by the collar bone
- Video Assisted Thorascopic (VATs) lung biopsy – this involves a general anaesthetic and allows the surgeon to take samples of the lung, or the lining of the lung.