When this type of cancer is discovered, it is usually already in the late stage! In fact, your body has already given you a warning...

Expert of this article: Wang Qian, attending physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University

This article was reviewed by Li Jiangtao, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hebei Chest Hospital

When it comes to cancer, "late stage" is one of the words we least want to hear. Some cancers will show obvious symptoms in the early stages, and many people can achieve early detection and early treatment. However, lung cancer is often found in the late stages.

Lung cancer is generally a malignant tumor that occurs in the lungs and mainly originates from bronchial epithelial cells. Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor disease both at home and abroad.

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According to GLOBOCAN estimates, there will be approximately 2.2 million new cases of lung cancer in the world in 2020, accounting for 11.4% of all malignant tumors, and approximately 1.8 million deaths, accounting for 18% of malignant tumor-related deaths. The number of lung cancer cases and deaths in China account for 37% and 39.8% of the world's total, respectively.

my country is one of the countries with the highest incidence and mortality of lung cancer. Lung cancer screening and prevention have always been a major challenge for the prevention and control of malignant tumors in my country. Why is lung cancer often diagnosed in the late stage? What changes in the body should we pay attention to? The answer is below.

Why is lung cancer difficult to detect in its early stages?

Lung cancer cases in my country have always been mostly discovered in the late clinical stage. From 2012 to 2014, the proportion of stage III-IV lung cancer in China was about 64.6%. Lung cancer is difficult to detect in the early stages, which is largely related to the hidden symptoms of lung cancer in the early stages. Another reason is that low-dose spiral CT is still recommended for early screening of lung cancer, but the current CT penetration rate is relatively low.

The early symptoms of lung cancer are atypical and not obvious, and are often easily ignored. However, if you pay close attention to your physical condition, you can still find some abnormalities.

cough

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In most cases, it is a dry cough with little or no sputum. There is no clear relationship between cough and body position, and there is no fixed time for cough (most long-term smokers will cough and spit in the morning). If you are over 40 years old and often have a dry cough, and you can't find the cause, and the cough is severe, you need to be alert to early lung cancer and go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.

Hemoptysis

Patients with central lung cancer may first experience hemoptysis, or simply blood in the sputum. Once hemoptysis occurs, it will persist, and simple hemostasis treatment is not ideal.

fever

Early stage lung cancer patients rarely have fever, but when cancer tissue necrosis occurs, it may cause low fever, and antibiotic treatment is ineffective. If low fever does not subside, or inflammation of the lungs occurs frequently, but it does not improve after long-term treatment, you should see a doctor in time to be alert to the occurrence of lung cancer.

Chest pain

If you experience chest pain that feels like a needle prick and there is no clear cause, it may be a sign of lung cancer and you should be alert.

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In addition to the above lung symptoms, lung cancer may also present with the following extrapulmonary manifestations:

Skin changes: A small number of patients with early lung cancer may experience skin itching, herpes zoster, and dermatomyositis.

Joint swelling and pain, mostly in large joints, mainly in the ankle and knee joints, the pain is not related to climate change. A few patients may develop clubbing, and general drug treatment is not effective.

Due to endocrine disorders, patients may experience muscle atrophy, muscle weakness, lower limb edema or diabetes, and male patients may also experience abnormal conditions such as testicular atrophy and breast enlargement.

Which group of people is at high risk of lung cancer?

Risk factors for lung cancer include:

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke

History of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis

Asbestos, chromium, silicon, soot, coal dust exposure

Family history of lung cancer in first-degree relatives

Combining the above high-risk factors for lung cancer, it is concluded that the high-risk groups for lung cancer are mainly:

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1. Smoking: Number of smoking pack-years ≥ 30, including former smokers with number of smoking pack-years ≥ 30 but current smoking cessation time less than 15 years;

2. Passive smoking: living with smokers or working in the same relatively closed environment for ≥ 20 years;

3. Suffering from tuberculosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;

4. Have a history of occupational exposure (exposure to asbestos, chromium, silicon, coal smoke, coal dust) for at least 1 year;

5. Parents, children, and first-degree relatives such as siblings are diagnosed with lung cancer.

Early low-dose spiral CT screening of the high-risk population for lung cancer can help early detection and diagnosis, which can improve prognosis and reduce lung cancer mortality. At the same time, it is recommended that low-dose spiral CT examinations be generally performed on people over 50 years old to achieve the purpose of early screening for lung cancer.

How to prevent lung cancer?

1. Carry out reasonable physical exercise: Studies have shown that exercise can reduce the risk of lung cancer by 25%. Compared with low-level exercise, high-level exercise can reduce the risk of lung cancer by 17%.

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2. Get enough sleep: Studies have shown that men who sleep less than 6.5 hours have a 112% increased risk of lung cancer. When the human body loses sleep, our immune system cannot get effective rest and recovery. Over time, immunity will become worse and worse, and cancer cells will have the opportunity to attack our body.

3. Eat enough fresh vegetables and fruits.

4. Quit smoking: Many studies have shown that the more smokers smoke, the higher their risk of lung cancer.

Early lung cancer is not easy to detect, so we need to pay more attention to our physical condition. If we feel unwell, we need to seek medical attention in time. People at high risk of lung cancer need regular physical examinations every year, and smokers need to do their best to quit smoking. Quitting smoking protects themselves and their families.

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