Can Lung Cancer Cause Stomach Problems

Symptoms In Women And Men

Your breathing problems may actually be caused by your stomach, not asthma

Generally speaking, the signs and symptoms for lung cancer are similar for men and women and may vary depending on where in the body the cancer forms.

For example, squamous cell carcinoma forms on the lining of the lungs. Signs of this type of cancer include:

Chest pain
Difficulty swallowing
Swelling in the face and neck veins

In addition to the symptoms above, adenocarcinoma, which typically forms in the outer areas of the lung, may also cause back pain, especially in women.

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Types Of Pain In Lung Cancer

Pain is generally considered the most common symptom of lung cancer. Pain is often caused by multiple factors and its management needs to be multi-disciplinary to address all these aspects. In cancer, pain can be characterized into two areas: acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is usually due to a definable injury or illness. Acute pain may be a secondary cause of cancer, such as a severe bleeding into a tumor, bone pain caused by a metastasis , or abdominal pain caused by a metastasis that obstructs the bowel. Acute pain is usually experienced for a limited duration and is predictable. It is usually associated with clinical signs such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, sweating, and pale skin.3

Chronic cancer pain may be a result of the same causes as acute pain but it is experienced for a much longer duration. Chronic pain can persist for more than 12 hours a day and often has a gradual or poorly defined onset. Approximately 75 percent of cancer patients live with chronic pain.3

Many cancer patients experience flares of pain despite using pain medications. These flares are called breakthrough cancer pain. Breakthrough pain greatly impairs a patients quality of life and can cause additional psychological burden.3

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The Signs And Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

If you want to know how can lung cancer spread to the stomach, its important to understand more about lung cancer itself. It is not just smokers that develop lung cancer. Various pollutants, genetic history, and other factors can result in lung cancer in non-smokers, so it is important that everyone be aware of the symptoms in case they may have lung cancer.

Some of the symptoms of lung cancer are:

Coughing up blood
Hoarseness
Bone pain

If you notice one or more of these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, seek a doctors advice as soon as possible. The sooner you get your symptoms checked, the sooner you can rule out lung cancer to take action to eliminate any cancer that has developed.

What You Need To Know

The most common types of lung cancer include lung nodules, non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Rare lung cancers often don’t originate in the lung.
Rare lung cancers vary according to size, recommended treatment options and rate of metastasis.

The most common types of lung cancer are those found right in the lungs. Other rarer types of cancer may also occur in the lungs and chest wall.

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Where Does Lung Cancer Cause Pain

The mortality rate of lung cancer is high since it is often caught lately, when it is less likely to respond the treatment. Sometime it can be painful, too. Since it originally grows in the lung, pain in the chest is the common symptom. It may also cause pain in other parts of the body, especially when it has become advanced!

Understanding cancer pain in general

Cancer pain is common, though not patients with cancer experience this discomfort symptom. Some types of cancer can be more painful.

Even though if the cancer doesnt directly cause pain, the discomfort may come from the treatment! About 1 out of 3 patients undergoing treatment for cancer experience pain and other discomfort symptoms.

The chance to have cancer pain increases if the cancer has become advanced. Even it can be more painful, too. However this can vary from patient to patient.

It occurs in many different ways. It may be achy, dull, or sharp. The intensity and severity vary, too which could be severe, moderate, mild, intermittent, or constant.

How does cancer pain occur? It can be a result from the cancer itself or other things associated with cancer .

In most cases, it is caused by the cancerous tumor pressing on nerves, bones, or particular organs in the body. Over time, tumor can grow and become large enough to cause more pressure on the surrounding tissues or organs.

At advanced stage, the pain can occur from the primary cancerous tumor itself or the secondary cancerous tumor .

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Small Cell Lung Cancer

Almost all cases of small cell lung cancer are due to cigarette smoking. It is a fast-growing cancer that spreads much more quickly than other types of lung cancer. There are two different types of small cell lung cancer:

Small cell carcinoma
Combined small cell carcinoma

Surgery is most commonly used in non-small cell lung cancers and less frequently in small cell lung cancer, which tends to spread more quickly to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for small cell lung cancer, as these medicines circulate throughout the body killing lung cancer cells that may have spread outside of the lung. Radiation therapy is frequently used in combination with chemotherapy when the tumor is confined to the lung and other areas inside of the chest. Radiation therapy may also be used to prevent or treat the development of small cell lung cancer that has spread to the brain . In radiation therapy, precisely targeted X-rays are used to destroy localized cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be used to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery, to treat tumors in patients who are not candidates for surgery or to treat tumors causing symptoms in other parts of the body.

If Youre Getting Radiation Therapy To The Abdomen

Stomach Cancer, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

If you are getting radiation to your stomach or some part of the abdomen , you may have side effects such as:

Nausea
Diarrhea
Constipation

Eating or avoiding certain foods can help with some of these problems, so diet planning is an important part of radiation treatment of the stomach or abdomen. Ask your cancer care team about what you can expect, and what medicines you should take to help relieve these problems. Check with your cancer care team about any home remedies or over-the-counter drugs youre thinking about using.

These problems should get better when treatment is over.

Managing nausea

Some people feel queasy for a few hours right after radiation therapy. If you have this problem, try not eating for a couple of hours before and after your treatment. You may handle the treatment better on an empty stomach. If the problem doesnt go away, ask your cancer care team about medicines to help prevent and treat nausea. Be sure to take the medicine exactly as you are told to do.

If you notice nausea before your treatment, try eating a bland snack, like toast or crackers, and try to relax as much as possible. See Nausea and Vomiting to get tips to help an upset stomach and learn more about how to manage these side effects.

Managing diarrhea

How Is Lung Cancer Treated

All relevant information about the patient, including his or her health status, the kind of tumor and how far it has spread are brought together to design the most appropriate therapy for that individuals cancer.

Lung cancer is a very challenging cancer to treat. Cell type and stage are the most critical factors in determining the survival rate is the stage at the time of diagnosis. Those that are diagnosed at a localized stage may be curable. Unfortunately, most people are diagnosed when the disease has spread outside the chest or involves the nodes in the chest . Also, the lungs are very sensitive organs and may not handle some forms of treatment easily. This combination explains why lung cancer has one of the poorest survival rates of all cancers. The overall two-year survival rate of those diagnosed with lung cancer is 25%. At five years, survival rate drops to 15%.

It is important to discuss the goals of lung cancer treatment with your doctor. Some treatments may be used to control the cancer. Others are used to improve quality of life and/or reduce symptoms. These treatments may be used alone or in combination.

Paraneoplastic Syndromes And Lung Cancer

Sometimes, SCLC can cause paraneoplastic syndromes. While not always the case, these syndromes are often early signs of SCLC.

SCLC may cause one of these three paraneoplastic syndromes: Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuretic Hormone , Cushing Syndrome or Lambert-Eaton Syndrome. Symptoms of paraneoplastic syndromes include muscle cramps, muscle weakness, elevation of calcium in the blood and clubbing, which refers to a change in the shape of the finger tips.

Unexpected Signs And Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

What sort of symptoms would be considered unexpected, shocking, or surprising? These signs and symptoms dont appear to be related to our lungs. The general public would not expect these indicators or signals to be a warning of lung cancer.

Arm/shoulder pain or eye problems. One kind of lung cancer develops in the lungs upper part. Instead of affecting the lungs, these tumors may spread to the ribs, the vertebrae of your spine, or the nerves or blood vessels. These tumors cause pain in your shoulder blade, upper back, or arms. They might cause numbness or tingling in your hands too. The Pancoast tumors that cause arm/shoulder pain can also cause eye problems. Patients may realize that the pupil of one eye is smaller, that eyelid droops, and less perspiration on that side of your face. This set of eye symptoms is called Horner Syndrome.

Hoarseness or change in voice. Some people get hoarse your voice may sound strained or raspy or sound lower in tone or softer in volume. A tumor in the lung can press on the nerve that controls the vocal cords. Hoarseness is caused by many other conditions, too, like a cold or laryngitis.

Blood clots. People with lung cancer are more likely to develop blood clots in your legs, arms, or lungs. Researchers believe that cancer increases inflammation in the body. The inflammation, in turn, causes blood clots.

Less Common Signs And Symptoms

Less common signs and symptoms of lung cancer include:

persistent coughing
loss of appetite

If lung cancer has spread to other organs, you may have symptoms such as fractures if its spread to your bones or vision issues if its spread to your brain.

Lung cancer may cause groups of certain symptoms that are known as syndromes. Some of the most common are Horners syndrome, superior vena cava syndrome, and paraneoplastic syndrome.

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How To Lower Your Risk

As a society, we eat a lot of processed and unhealthy foods that cause these benign symptoms that we have. We really need to shift back to a cleaner, mostly plant-based diet, says Dr. El-Hayek. Theres no doubt that the data supports a diet thats rich in fresh vegetables, minimal fruit and minimal meat, especially processed meat. Avoiding these toxic foods will not only decrease a persons risk for cancer development, but also the digestive symptoms from eating them.

Types Of Late Effects

Nearly any cancer treatment can cause late effects. And different treatments can cause different late effects. Below is a list of the more common late effects. Talk with your doctor about any concerns you have about a specific late effect.

Problems from surgery. Late side effects from surgery depend on the type of cancer and where in the body you had surgery:

Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma, especially those diagnosed before 1988, often had their spleens removed. The spleen is a vital organ for the immune system. Removing it is linked with a higher risk of infections.
Survivors of bone and soft-tissue cancers may have lost part or all of a limb. This can cause physical and emotional effects. One example is phantom limb pain. This is feeling pain in the limb that was removed even though it is no longer there. Rehabilitation can help people cope with physical changes from treatment.
People who had radiation therapy or surgery to remove lymph nodes may develop lymphedema. Lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection. Lymphedema is when lymph fluid builds up and causes swelling and pain.
People who had certain surgeries in the pelvis or abdomen may not be able to have children. This is called infertility. Learn more about fertility concerns and preserving fertility in men and in women.

Heart problems. Both chemotherapy and radiation therapy to the chest can cause heart problems. Some survivors may have a higher risk. This includes those who:

Bleomycin

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The Main Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

The main symptoms of the disease are listed by the NHS as:

A cough that doesnt go away after two or three weeks
A long-standing cough that gets worse
Chest infections that keep coming back
Coughing up blood
An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
Persistent breathlessness
Persistent tiredness or lack of energy
Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss

Types Of Lung Cancer In Women And Men

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The types of lung cancer differ among women and men as well:

Women tend to develop NSCLC more than men.
Women are more likely to be diagnosed with adenocarcinoma than men .
Female nonsmokers are more likely than male nonsmokers to be diagnosed with the subtype bronchioalveolar carcinoma.
Women who have lung cancer are more likely to live longer than men.
Women who undergo surgery for some lung cancers, including NSCLC, also live longer than men. Women have a better response to chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer than men do.
Men are more likely to be diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma than women.

What Kind Of Doctor Treats Stomach Cancer

There is a team of specialists that cares for people with stomach cancer:

Gastroenterologist: a doctor who specializes in the stomach and intestines
Surgical oncologist: a doctor who surgically removes cancer tumors and cancerous cells
Medical oncologist: a doctor who treats cancer with oral or systemic medication
Radiation oncologist: a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation therapy
Pathologist: a doctor who evaluates cells, tissues and organs and performs other laboratory tests to diagnose disease
Radiologist: a doctor who uses imaging tests to diagnose disease

Depending on your condition and where you are in your treatment, you may meet with any one of these specialists at a given time.

How Stomach Cancer Spreads

There are 3 ways stomach cancer can spread:

directly the cancer can spread from the stomach into nearby tissues and organs, such as the pancreas, colon, small intestine and peritoneum
through the lymphatic system the lymphatic system is a series of glands located throughout your body, similar to the blood circulatory system the glands produce specialised cells needed by your immune system to fight infection
through the blood which can cause the cancer to spread from the stomach to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver

Stomach cancer that spreads to another part of the body is known as metastatic stomach cancer.

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When To See A Doctor

If youre at high risk for lung cancer and have any of the symptoms described above, its best to get checked out by a doctor or other health professional. Coughing up blood or having trouble breathing are two major signs to watch for.

High-risk patients, especially current smokers or those who have smoked more than 30 pack-years, are potential candidates for regular lung cancer screenings. Thirty pack-years is equivalent to smoking two packs a day for 15 years or one pack a day for 30 years, or similar multiples. These screenings would use imaging techniques like computed tomography scans to determine if your lungs show signs of cancer.

You may want to talk to a health professional about this option if you have exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke that cause lung cancer, have an inherited disease that is linked to increased risk of lung cancer, or if many people in your family have developed lung cancer.

Studies suggest that getting these screenings yearly may help lower the risk of death from lung cancer in high-risk individuals. They also can detect other problems that are not cancer but require tests and surgeries.

A health professional can determine if youre a good candidate for screening and walk you through the pros and cons of getting it done.