Lung Cancer - Non-Small Cell

Symptoms and Signs

People with NSCLC may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes people with NSCLC do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not cancer.

• Fatigue

• Cough

• Shortness of breath

• Chest pain, if a tumor spreads to the lining of the lung or other parts of the body near the lungs

• Loss of appetite

• Coughing up phlegm or mucus

• Coughing up blood

• Unintentional weight loss

• Hoarseness

If you are concerned about any changes you experience, please talk with your doctor. Your doctor will ask how long and how often you’ve been experiencing the symptom(s), in addition to other questions. This is to help figure out the cause of the problem, called a diagnosis.

For people with NSCLC who have no symptoms, the cancer may be noticed on an imaging test – such as a chest x-ray or CT scan – performed for some other reason, such as checking for heart disease. Most people with NSCLC are diagnosed when the tumor grows, takes up space, or begins to cause problems with parts of the body near the lungs. A lung tumor may also make fluid that can that can build up in the lung or the space around the lung or push the air out of the lungs and cause the lung to collapse. This prevents oxygen from getting in the body and carbon dioxide from leaving the body by blocking the flow of air into the lungs, or by using up the space normally required for oxygen to come in and carbon dioxide to go out of the lung.

NSCLC can spread anywhere in the body through a process called metastasis. It most commonly spreads to the lymph nodes, other parts of the lungs, bones, brain, liver, and structures near the kidneys called the adrenal glands. Metastases from NSCLC can cause:

• More breathing difficulties

• Bone pain

• Abdominal or back pain

• Headache

• Weakness

• Seizures

• Speech difficulties

• Rarely, a lung tumor can release hormones that cause problems such as low blood sodium levels or high blood calcium levels.

Symptoms such as fatigue, feeling out-of-sorts or unwell, and loss of appetite are not necessarily caused by metastases. Cancer anywhere in the body can cause a person to feel unwell in a general way. Loss of appetite can cause weight loss and muscle loss. Fatigue and weakness can further worsen a person’s ability to breathe. Muscle loss also contributes to weakness and loss of mobility.

If cancer is diagnosed, relieving symptoms remains an important part of cancer care and treatment. This may be called palliative care or supportive care. It is often started soon after diagnosis and continued throughout treatment. Be sure to talk with your health care team about the symptoms you experience, including any new symptoms or a change in symptoms.