Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has spread from the lungs to other parts of the body. This is why lung cancer screening is important. Screening can catch lung cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.

Common symptoms of lung cancer include:

• A cough that doesn’t go away or gets worse
• Coughing up blood or mucus
• Chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing, coughing or laughing
• Shortness of breath
• Hoarseness
• Lung infections like bronchitis or pneumonia that don’t go away or that come back
• Loss of appetite
• Unplanned weight loss
• Feeling weak or tired (fatigue)
• Wheezing

If lung cancer has spread, it might cause:

• Bone pain
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Headaches, dizziness or other nervous system problems

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions. It’s best to talk with your doctor about them.

Lung cancer risk factors

Risk factors for lung cancer include:

Smoking: Having a history of smoking increases risk. Smoking accounts for 80% to 90% of lung cancers.

Secondhand smoke: Being exposed to other people’s smoking increases risk.

Environment: Exposure to radon gas, which can build up in homes and other buildings, increases risk. So does exposure to other things in the environment, such as asbestos; air pollution, including diesel exhaust; and workplace chemicals.

Family history: Having a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, with a history of lung cancer increases risk. The Knight offers expert genetic counseling to help you understand and manage your risk.

Age: Being 65 or older increases risk.

Learn more

• Lung Cancer Risk Factors, American Cancer Society
• Lung Cancer Risk Factors, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Radon, CDC

How to stop smoking

• Quit Smoking, 博彩网站 Knight Cancer Institute
• Oregon Tobacco Quit Line, Oregon Health Authority
• How to Quit Smoking, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention