Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer

There are several lung-related symptoms of lung cancer that appear after the cancer has been growing for some time, including:

Coughing. Coughing that doesn’t go away or gets worse and is not related to a viral or bacterial infection affecting your lungs.
Shortness of breath. Feeling out of breath, tightness in the chest, feeling like you can’t breathe, or feeling you can’t get enough air. There are non-cancerous conditions that can also cause this symptom. Either way you should have a doctor check your lungs.
Coughing up bloody mucus. Coughing up blood-tinged or rust-colored phlegm or mucus.
Chest pain. Pain that gets worse with laughing, coughing, or deep breathing.
Wheezing. Wheezing is that high-pitched whistling sound that happens when exhaling.
Lung infections that won't clear. Repeated infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis, or a lung infection that won't go away will likely be evaluated further by your doctor for another cause. 
Hoarseness. If your voice becomes hoarse for no apparent reason you should have this evaluated by a doctor.
What's Next if You Receive a Lung Cancer Diagnosis?
If the symptoms you noticed and reported to your doctor were caused by lung cancer, you're likely to visit with an oncologist who specializes in lung cancer treatments. They will determine the type of lung cancer, stage, and other factors that allows them to create a personalized treatment plan. If you're in the Colorado Front Range, the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers team is here to guide you through the process every step of the way.