Lung Cancer: What to Know

Lung cancer is when abnormal cancer cells form a mass (tumor) in your lung. There are different types of lung cancer. These are based on how the tumor cells look.

The two most common types are:

• Non-small cell lung cancer.
  • This is the most common type.
  • It includes squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, and large cell cancers.
• Small cell lung cancer.
  • This type has small cancer cells that grow faster than non-small cell lung cancer.

What are the causes?

The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking tobacco. The second most common cause is breathing in a gas called radon.

What increases the risk?

You're more likely to get lung cancer if:

• You smoke tobacco.
• You've been exposed to:
  • Secondhand tobacco smoke.
  • Radon gas.
  • Uranium.
  • Asbestos.
  • Arsenic.
  • Air pollution and diesel fumes.
• You have a family or personal history of lung cancer.
• You've had radiation therapy before.
• You're older than age 65.

What are the signs or symptoms?

In the early stages, you may not have any symptoms. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

• A long-lasting cough, sometimes with blood.
• Feeling very tired.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Shortness of breath.
• A whistling sound when you breathe out (wheezing).
• Chest pain.
• Not feeling hungry.

Symptoms of lung cancer that's advanced may include:

• Hoarse voice.
• Bone or joint pain.
• Feeling weak.
• Nails that are rounded and look like a spoon (clubbed nails).
• Swelling in your face or arms.
• Not being able to move your face (facial paralysis).
• Drooping eyelids.

How is this diagnosed?

You may be diagnosed based on:

• Your symptoms and medical history.
• A physical exam.
• Imaging tests, such as:
  • Chest X-ray.
  • CT scan.
  • PET-CT scan.
  • MRI of the brain, to see if the cancer has spread.
• Blood tests.
• Mucus (sputum) tests.
• Biopsy, which is when a small piece of lung tissue is removed for testing.

Your cancer will be staged to see how bad it is and how much it has spread (metastasized).

How is this treated?

Treatment depends on the type and stage of your cancer. It may include:

• Surgery to remove the cancer and possibly nearby lymph nodes.
• Chemotherapy, which is treatment that uses medicines to kill cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy. This uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy. This targets specific parts of the cancer cells to stop them from growing and spreading.
• Immunotherapy to boost your immune system to help fight cancer.

Follow these instructions at home:

• Do not smoke, vape, or use nicotine or tobacco.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Let your cancer specialist (oncologist) know if you're in the hospital. Your cancer can affect treatment for other health problems.
• Take your medicines only as told.
• Work with your provider to manage any side effects of treatment.
• Keep all follow-up visits. Your treatment plan may need changes.

Where to find support

Think about joining a local support group for people with lung cancer.

Where to find more information

To learn more, go to:

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) at cancer.gov.
  1. Click "Search" and type "lung cancer."
  2. Find the link you need.
• American Cancer Society at cancer.org.
  1. Click "Search" and type "lung cancer."
  2. Find the link you need.

Contact a health care provider if you:

• Lose weight without trying.
• Have a long-lasting cough or wheezing.
• Feel short of breath.
• Get tired easily.
• Have bone or joint pain.
• Have trouble swallowing.
• Notice that your voice is changing or getting hoarse.

Get help right away if you:

• Cough up blood.
• Have chest pain or trouble breathing.
• Have a fever.
• Have swelling in an ankle, leg, or arm, face, or neck.
• Can't move parts of your face.
• Are very confused.
• Have a drooping eyelid.

These symptoms may be an emergency. Call 911 right away.

• Do not wait to see if the symptoms will go away.
• Do not drive yourself to the hospital.