There are no signs or symptoms common among all patients with lung cancer.2 There are many types of lung cancer which differ in where they grow and how fast they enlarge and spread.5 This in turn will influence what and when signs or symptoms may appear. Note that most symptoms are not specific for lung cancer, and so they may go unnoticed for a long time. Some patients may not exhibit any symptoms at all.2
Important!
There are no symptoms of lung cancer that are common to all patients; patients each experience lung cancer in different ways. Unfortunately, most people with lung cancer won’t show any symptoms until the cancer has grown to a larger size and begins to spread. Some patients will develop symptoms related to their lungs, such as difficultly catching their breath. Other patients, however, might first experience non-lung symptoms, such as bone pain1, because their cancer has already metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body. Some people experience non-specific symptoms, such as feeling tired all the time or losing weight without trying. And some patients may not experience any noticeable symptoms at all.2
Technical Terms
The following are some more common signs and symptoms of lung cancer, although keep in mind that these are likely to have other causes besides cancer2,4:
- Signs
Frequently Asked Questions
There are no signs or symptoms common among all patients with lung cancer, regardless of stage.2 Most people with lung cancer are diagnosed when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body (referred to as metastatic or advanced lung cancer)6, which helps illustrate how difficult it is to recognize the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, even end stage. At this late stage, the signs and symptoms may not be limited to only the lungs. For example, lymph nodes are part of a system of organs in the body that filters blood and other fluids, in part as a way to fight infection.7 Commonly if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, those nodes grow larger than normal and may be seen or felt.7 However, lymph nodes may also grow larger during an infection, and an examination by a healthcare professional is needed for a proper diagnosis. Other signs and symptoms related to end stage lung cancer may involve spread and damage to the liver (resulting in swelling of the belly or yellowing of the skin or eyes), to the brain (headaches or weakness to a part of the body) or to bone (bone pain or weak bones).7
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- Lung cancer - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Updated April 30, 2024. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620.
- Symptoms of Lung Cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated October 15, 2024. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/lung-cancer/symptoms/index.html
- NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/sign
- Lung Cancer Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging. American Cancer Society. Updated January 29,2024. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging.html
- Types of Lung Cancer. American Lung Association. Updated September 17, 2024. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/basics/lung-cancer-types
- Lung cancer. World Health Organization. Updated June 26, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lung-cancer
- Symptoms of metastatic lung cancer. Cancer Research UK. Updated March 21, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html