What are the symptoms of lung cancer?

The symptoms of advanced lung cancer are:

a cough that does not go away and tends to get worse, or even produces bloody sputum;

chest pain that increases during coughing;

wheezing and shortness of breath on exertion;

hoarseness of the voice that does not disappear after a few weeks;

recurrent respiratory infections.

In the most advanced cases, we observe fatigue, nausea, weight loss, bone pain or vision problems.

How does lung cancer progress?

Today, in France, five-year survival after a diagnosis of lung cancer is 14% (13% in men, 18% in women), making it one of the most difficult cancers to treat. .

In the absence of treatment, cancer cells will migrate into the bloodstream to settle and multiply in the liver, bones, brain, etc. These secondary tumors are called “metastases”.

Certain elements can guide the prognosis:

the appearance of the tumor: a large tumor will be more difficult to treat;

invasion of the lung by cancer cells signals greater severity;

the microscopic particularities of the tumor and the speed of proliferation of cancer cells (their “mitotic index”) also influence the prognosis;

as with all cancers, the presence of metastases in other organs is a sign of greater seriousness.

Stages of progression (lung cancer final weeks)

Depending on the results of additional examinations, the doctor can determine the stage of progression of lung cancer (which determines its prognosis and treatment).

For non-small cell lung cancers, it uses a so-called “TNM” classification which takes into account aspects of the lung tumor, the possible presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, and the possible existence of metastases. Depending on the result of this classification, non-small cell lung cancers are said to be “progressive stage 0, Ia (1, 2 or 3), Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IVa or IVb”, of increasing severity.

Small cell lung cancers are classified into “localized” and “disseminated.”