Signs Of Lung Cancer That Can Manifest In Your Fingers Or Toes

One of the most common, albeit serious types of cancer that affect lots of people in the UK is lung cancer. According to official data, approximately 47,000 patients are diagnosed annually as suffering from the condition.

Lung cancer is caused by the unrestrained growth of rogue cells in one or both lungs. While lung cancer may not usually cause symptoms during the early stages, it may do so when it is already in an advanced stage. Some of the symptoms may be rare and are not usually associated with the deadly ailment.

A Rare Lung Cancer Symptom

One of the rare symptoms caused by lung cancer is experiencing numbness or pins and needles in your toes or fingers. According to Cancer Research UK, this happens when lung cancer cells produce hormones that somehow go into the bloodstream.

Such hormones may produce symptoms that do not appear to be related to lung cancer. The charitable organization said that medical professionals refer to this symptom as a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Other Symptoms

There are also other symptoms that can be caused by the production of these hormones. These include the swelling of breasts in men, blood clots, muscle weakness, dizziness, confusion, and drowsiness.

The main lung cancer symptoms are experiencing loss of appetite or an unexplained weight loss, a long-standing cough that worsens with time and coughing up blood. Lung cancer patients have also been shown to suffer from chest infections that kept on coming back and a cough that does not disappear even after two or three weeks.

There are also lung cancer patients who report feeling pain or an ache whenever they breathe or cough, as well as feeling breathless almost all the time. They also report consistently feeling tired and suffering from a lack of energy.

What to Do

While many of these symptoms may be linked to other less serious diseases, it is always good practice to immediately seek the advice of a doctor. As soon as you feel some of these symptoms, like suffering from a persistent cough or being breathless, try to seek an appointment with your doctor right away.

This is better than dismissing outright what you may be feeling. Bear in mind that the earlier the cause for all these symptoms is detected, the better your chances are at having a successful treatment outcome.