The tos may be due to a simple cold or allergy. But sometimes it carries more serious risks. Some types of cough can be a symptom of cancer.
Coughing is a natural reflex that serves to remove irritants from the airways and protect the lungs. Buts people with cancer may also cough related to this tumor or its treatment.
What types of cancer give cough? According to the website Cancer.Net belonging to the American Society for Clinical Oncology, the lung cancer, those that affect the upper respiratory tract or any cancer that has spread to the lungs or chest.
How is cough linked to lung cancer?
A persistent cough is a common sign of lung cancer, giving between 45% and 75% of patients. he can be dry or productive there lead to expulsion mucous discharge, infected mucus or even blood.
And study 2019 Posted in chest log analyzed the cough in patients with lung cancer. Described as a frequent and distressing symptom associated with gastrointestinal problems such as reflux or nausea, the hallmarks of the cancer, ie the stage of the cancer, were not associated with the severity of the cough.
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Some Characteristics of a cough due to lung cancer to understand:
- Persistent cough, which does not go away in 2 or 3 weeks.
- Which gets worse over time.
- Coughing up blood or brown or red mucus.
- Cough associated with wheezing or shortness of breath.
- Cough in a person with a history of smoking.
- Frequent respiratory infections like pneumonia and bronchitis.
- Cough that produces a lot of mucus.
However, the presence of one or more symptoms of this tumor does not serve to diagnose the disease. It must be done by a medical specialist through tests.
Other Symptoms of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is one of the most diagnosed there which produces more deaths in Spain. Smoking is the main causative agent linked to this tumor. Also radon exposureespecially in non-smokers, according to the Spanish Society of Oncology.
Its symptoms usually begin to manifest themselves in more advanced stages of the disease, which justifies that in nearly 2/3 of patients it is diagnosed when they already have metastases.
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The bone symptoms that can alert you to possible lung cancer to understand:
- Diagnosis of a respiratory infection that does not improve sufficiently after usual treatment.
- Dysphonia or changes in voice.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Dysphagia or feeling that food is stuck in the middle of the chest.
- Back pain in some cases.
- Fatigue.
- loss of appetite
Regarding the the factors that can help prevent it, These include not smoking or quitting smoking if you have this habit, avoiding passive smoking and exposure to carcinogens such as radon, exercise and eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.