No coughing, no vomiting of blood, just pain in one part of the body, it turned out to be lung cancer!

Many people think that lung cancer is just coughing, vomiting blood, etc. In fact, pain in a part of the body may also be a symptom of lung cancer. So let’s learn more about it.

"Doctor Xia, my father is 73 years old. He developed shoulder and back pain three months ago. We thought it was frozen shoulder. He went to the orthopedics department for physical therapy but it didn't get better. After several attempts, we found out that it was bone metastasis of lung cancer. But I didn't hear him cough much, so how could it be lung cancer?" Facing this tearful family member, I explained that coughing is one of the common early symptoms of lung cancer, but sometimes it can also manifest as "atypical symptoms" such as shoulder and back pain.

Since it is difficult for patients to judge by themselves, we recommend that people at high risk of lung cancer undergo screening through methods such as low-dose spiral CT. For example, heavy smokers, people working in mining areas, people born in areas with a high incidence of lung cancer, people with a family history of cancer, and people with a history of chronic lung disease should be particularly careful about the signs of lung cancer.

If lung cancer can be detected early and surgery can be performed in time, the patient's 5-year survival rate can reach about 80%. Elderly people who cannot withstand surgical treatment due to weak constitution and poor cardiopulmonary function can also choose radiotherapy. The precision of modern radiotherapy has been improved, which greatly increases the "tumor-killing" dose without increasing the dose to normal tissues. In addition to its good therapeutic effect on early-stage lung cancer, it can also prolong the survival of patients with mid- and late-stage lung cancer, relieve pain, and improve their quality of life.

Prevention measures for lung cancer

1. Quit smoking. The sooner you quit smoking, the lower the risk of lung cancer. At the same time, avoid passive smoking and stay away from smoking environments. Smokers should also consider others, take the initiative to control themselves, and not smoke in public places.

2. Stay away from radioactive materials. When working in a toxic and harmful environment, protective measures should be taken to reduce occupational hazards; avoid indoor smoke and decoration pollution, and pay attention to good ventilation in the kitchen; in addition, stay away from radioactive materials.

3. Balanced nutrition. Vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients such as carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, etc., which are good for lung health, so you should eat more of them; garlic, seafood, grains, mushrooms, sesame, eggs, etc. are rich in selenium, which has anti-cancer and anti-cancer effects, so you should eat more of them.

4. Control your diet. Try to eat less or no pickled, smoked, barbecued, moldy, leftover food and other carcinogenic foods.

5. Maintain a regular life. Be in a good mood, combine work and rest, and insist on exercising to increase your ability to prevent and resist diseases.

6. Get a lung check-up every year. To detect lung cancer early, we need to raise awareness and strengthen lung examinations.

People who need early lung cancer screening mainly include four categories: long-term smokers, especially men over 50 years old; those with lung cancer in their immediate relatives; those with carcinogenic factors in their work and living environment; and those with repeated chronic lung damage, such as repeated infections and tuberculosis. Early screening is required when the following abnormalities occur: persistent cough; chest pain, especially when aggravated by deep breathing; shoulder pain with numbness of fingers; with or without drooping eyelids; hoarseness; and others such as weight loss, shortness of breath, and recurrent bronchitis.