Just as in case of any other cancer, the symptoms of lung cancer in women appear because of the abnormalities that occur at the cellular level.
Cancer appears when the cells start an uncontrollable growth and division. In the end they will form a tumor that will become the cancer.
Women’s lung cancer symptoms
The truth is that there are various symptoms of the condition according to the location of the cancer and on the locations that it has spread to.
Not all of the cases present symptoms. Even more, in many cases women don’t even know that they are affected at the early stages.
No symptoms
It is good to know regarding the signs of lung cancer in women that in about 25% of the cases the cancer is found during a routine CT scan or X-ray.
It has the shape of a solitary mass that is also known as a coin lesion. If there is only one lesion that is small, most probably the patient won’t have any symptoms at all.
Cancer symptoms
As the cancer grows, the symptoms of lung cancer in women don’t fail to appear. This is because the cancerous cells invade the surrounding tissues.
As a result the patients can be affected by problems with breathing. This results in cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing up blood and chest pain.
If the cancer also reaches the nerves, the women’s lung cancer signs could include shoulder pain that is also reflected in the arms. It is possible for the vocal chords to get paralyzed too. Sometimes it becomes difficult to swallow. If the cancer affects a large area, a part of the lung could collapse.
Metastasis
It is possible for the cancer to spread to other tissues, like the bones. In this case the symptoms of lung cancer in women include severe pain. The cancer can spread to the brain as well, and in this case the signs include headaches, blurred vision, seizures and the symptoms of stroke, like loss of sensation in different body parts or weakness.
Paraneoplastic symptoms
One of the possible warning signs of lung cancer in women is that the tumor produces chemicals, which are something like hormones. The truth is that this situation occurs quite rarely. One of the hormone-like chemicals produced is known as ACTH and this leads to cortisol overproduction by the adrenal glands.
The most common symptoms of lung cancer in women in case of NSCLC are the production of a chemical that is similar to the parathyroid hormone. As a result of this substance the calcium level of the blood gets too high.
Nonspecific symptoms
Such women’s lung cancer warning signs include weight loss, fatigue and weakness. Such symptoms can be associated with just any kind of cancer. It is also common to experience depression or sudden mood changes.
There are a lot of different symptoms of lung cancer in women you should know about. For further information, you should talk to your health care provider.
