Why is lung cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage? Or related to these 4 points, don't be careless
Speaking of lung cancer, many people have an inexplicable fear of it, not only because lung cancer is a cancer with a double morbidity and mortality rate in China, but also because lung cancer patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Lung cancer gives people the impression that lung cancer is both "cunning" and "extremely dangerous". Many people talk about lung cancer and think that it is a terminal disease that is "unsalvageable".
People's impression of lung cancer does not come out of thin air, and many lung cancer patients do lose their lives quickly after the disease. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the patients with lung cancer are at an advanced stage when the disease is more severe. Advanced lung cancer is not ideal from the perspective of treatment effects and the quality of life of the patients.
Compared with early stage lung cancer, there is a world of difference due to the disease characteristics of lung cancer. If people do not pay special attention to this aspect of the examination, it is difficult to detect cancer at an early stage, which also increases the difficulty of lung cancer treatment.
- The onset of lung cancer is hidden: Many lung cancer patients have no obvious symptoms in the early stage, or have mild symptoms but not prominent, much like ordinary diseases. For example, a cough, usually a dry cough, may be accompanied by a small amount of phlegm if secondary infection occurs. Some patients may experience chest pain, hemoptysis, and asthma. However, these symptoms often do not cause patients to suspect lung cancer, and there is no targeted examination, and most of them are treated with respiratory diseases.
The extrapulmonary manifestations of lung cancer are diverse: some lung cancer patients have no obvious symptoms of lung cancer when they are first diagnosed and treated. However, because cancer can involve the central nervous system, peripheral nerves, muscles, etc., it presents as a paraneoplastic syndrome. If lung cancer metastasizes outside the chest, it most commonly metastasizes to the brain, resulting in increased intracranial pressure. Patients will have headache, nausea, vomiting, mental disorders and other manifestations. If it metastasizes to the bones, it will cause pathological fractures or bone pain, and lung cancer can also metastasize to the abdomen and superficial lymph nodes and cause corresponding symptoms.
Atypical imaging manifestations: It is more difficult to judge whether you have lung cancer if you simply take a chest X-ray. Because lung cancer and pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis and other diseases are very similar in chest X-ray appearance.
In particular, bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma, pneumonia, and tuberculosis can appear as diffuse patchy or nodular shadows in the lungs on chest radiographs. Some patients are easily diagnosed with pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. without further examination. It is recommended that if such abnormalities are found on chest X-ray, it is best to further check the possibility of lung cancer to rule out the risk.
- Masked by co-morbid symptoms: Lung disease is a risk factor for lung cancer, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis. Few people may pay attention to this, and patients with lung disease have a history of smoking. In the process of recovery from chronic inflammation in the lungs, it is prone to malignant transformation into tumors.
Generally, people with a history of lung disease should pay attention to lung cancer prevention and screening even if the disease is cured. For early detection of lung cancer, the most critical step is early screening of lung cancer. Currently, low-dose helical CT is recommended. It can allow the subjects to receive less radiation and obtain a better impact inspection. It is recommended that high-risk groups of lung cancer can consult a doctor, and increase targeted inspections in the annual physical examination to exclude risks.