Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis in the United States and the leading cause of cancer death. This is often due to late-stage diagnosis, as symptoms often don’t appear early on.
It is important to note that lung cancer screenings can help detect the disease before symptoms appear or are as obvious, but the cancer itself is easiest to treat.
Lung Cancer Symptoms to Look Out For
The symptoms of lung cancer are different for every person and often mimic other health conditions or are mistaken for the side effects of smoking. There are also fewer nerve endings in the lungs, so tumors located in the lungs aren’t always painful.
The following may be symptoms of lung cancer:
- Coughing or a cough that won’t go away
- Coughing up blood or rust-colored mucus
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Hoarseness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Exhaustion or fatigue
- Infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia that can’t be cured or keep coming back
- Swollen lymph nodes or swelling in the face and neck
- Bony pain (if the cancer has spread to the bone)
Types of Lung Cancer
Symptoms are not categorized by lung cancer type. There are two primary forms of lung cancer:
- Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type, accounting for around 85 percent of lung cancer cases. This form usually spreads slower throughout the body than small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is often associated with smoking but can also occur in patients who have never smoked. The most common subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Less common subtypes include adenosquamous carcinoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma.
- Small cell lung cancer is strongly associated with cigarette smoking. The two subtypes of small cell lung cancer are small cell carcinoma and combined small cell carcinoma (cells mixed with another lung cancer type).
Lung Cancer Screenings
Lung cancer symptoms typically do not appear until the later stages of the disease, so lung cancer screening is essential for catching the disease when it’s still treatable.
The highest risk category includes individuals who smoke or have a history of smoking. This habit is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for 80 percent of lung cancer deaths. Qualifying criteria include:
- 50-80 years old
- Asymptomatic (no shortness of breath, coughing up blood, etc.)
- Current smoker or someone who quit smoking within the last 15 years
- Tobacco smoking history of 20 pack-years (one pack/day for 20 years, two packs/day for 10 years)
- Order for the screening from a provider
Screening guidelines call for yearly maintenance screening. Unfortunately, not enough eligible people undergo the process. Approximately 8 million Americans are at high risk for lung cancer, yet only 5.7 percent get screened.
If you fall into the high-risk category or have concerns about lung cancer, ask your health care provider about options.
If someone is diagnosed with lung cancer but has no symptoms, the disease may still be in its early stages and, therefore, more treatable. While lung cancer screenings can help detect cancer, they may not catch every kind and can’t predict a patient’s outcome.
Catch Lung Cancer Symptoms Early
Lung cancer screening is one of the “easier” cancer screenings. For example, colonoscopy requires advanced prep and anesthesia, but lung cancer screening only involves a CT scan. The scan is “low dose,” as it has 90 percent less radiation than a conventional CT scan. It’s also swift, taking only about 30 seconds to complete.
The resulting images reveal if there are any abnormalities. If some are found, they are investigated further. Early detection allows treatment to begin when it is the most effective. UMMS offers lung cancer screenings and comprehensive care for patients diagnosed with lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Treatment
If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, the most important step for treatment is finding out which type you have and what stage the cancer is. A patient’s medical oncology team relies on special testing to determine if a patient’s lung cancer has any mutations or biomarkers that will impact treatment. When medical providers know a patient’s lung cancer type, they can use more effective treatment methods.
The care teams at UMMS use advanced technology for a variety of lung cancer treatment options, including:
- Surgery – may be used to remove tumors, cancerous tissues or the entire lung, depending on the cancer type and location
- Chemotherapy – uses intravenous medication to kill cancer cells throughout the body
- Radiation therapy – uses powerful radiation beams to kill or shrink cancer cells in the lungs
- Targeted therapy – refers to using medications to target specific mutations or other changes in a cancer cell to kill those cells or stop them from growing
- Immunotherapy – medications help the patient’s immune system recognize and attack cancer cells
- Supportive care – an important part of cancer treatment, involving quality-of-life treatments to help address lung cancer symptoms, treatment symptoms and manage the stress of a cancer diagnosis
Listen to Podcasts
Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung cancer has very few symptoms in the early stages, so experts recommend certain people get screened regularly starting at age 50. But what happens if your scan shows cancer? In this podcast, Drs. Eric Krause and Heather Lee from UM Capital Region Health discuss lung cancer diagnoses and treatment options. Listen here or below.
How Do Lung Cancer Screenings Save Lives?
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the United States in both men and women combined. Getting regular lung cancer screenings can help save lives. In this podcast, learn more about who needs to be screened, what a screening is like, what happens after you’ve been screened and much more from Tiffany Matonak MMS, PA-C, an expert in thoracic surgery and lung cancer at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, part of the UM Cancer Network. Listen here or below.
Get a Lung Screening
Lung screenings are available through UMMS at the following locations:
- University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Tate Cancer Center at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center
- University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
- Kaufman Cancer Center at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health
- University of Maryland Capital Region Health
- University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus
More to Read
- How to Quit Smoking and Reduce Your Risk of Lung Cancer
- 7 Steps for Coping With a Chronic Condition
- Choosing the Best Palliative Care
Medically reviewed by Katherine A. Scilla, MD, FACP.
Updated 04/10/24
