Some symptoms of lung cancer are very clearly linked to the lungs, but other symptoms are more obscure, and involve organs outside the respiratory system. Those directly related to the lungs are:
- Persistent coughing
- Change in a cough you have had for a long time
- Coughing up phlegm with signs of blood in it
- Shortness of breath caused by fluid around the lungs
- Chest pain
- Hoarseness
- Wheezing or vibrating breathing noises
- Recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis
- Difficulty swallowing
Non-respiratory symptoms associated with lung cancer may be due to the pressure of a tumour on another organ, or secondary tumours elsewhere in the body. They include weight loss, excessive fatigue, persistent pain in the chest or elsewhere, headaches, dizziness, swelling of the face caused by a blockage of a main blood vessel from the head, swelling in the neck caused by enlarged lymph nodes, pain or discomfort under your ribs on your right side (from the liver), and other health problems.
Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer fivefold. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer 11 fold. Therefore a smoker who is exposed to asbestos is 55 times more likely to develop lung cancer.
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, please contact our solicitors or fill in our online claim form to discuss your own case and our team will guide you through the claims process.
