Early Symptoms of Lung Cancer

Early symptoms of lung cancer may be absent in people with the disease. In fact, about 25 percent of people with lung cancer exhibit no symptoms when their cancer is found. For those people who do experience early symptoms of lung cancer, they may include fatigue, constant chest pain, and fever.

 

Lung Cancer and Early Symptoms: An Overview

Different people may experience different early symptoms of lung cancer. Some people with lung cancer don't have any early symptoms of lung cancer at all. In fact, about 25 percent of patients diagnosed with lung cancer do not display any early symptoms -- including some people with advanced lung cancer.
 

Common Early Symptoms of Lung Cancer

If early symptoms do occur, they may include one or more of the following:
 
  • A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time
  • Constant chest pain
  • Coughing up blood
  • Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness
  • Swelling of the neck and face
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Weight loss.
     

Other Early Lung Cancer Symptoms

Other early lung cancer symptoms that can sometimes occur include:
 
  • Repeated bouts of pneumonia
  • Changes in the shape of the fingertips
  • Swollen or enlarged lymph nodes (glands) in the upper chest and lower neck.
     
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD