What symptoms can non-small cell lung cancer cause?

Symptoms of lung cancer can be different for different people. Most lung cancers do not cause any symptoms until they have spread.

The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:

• A cough that does not go away or gets worse
• Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
• Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
• Hoarseness
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling tired or weak
• Infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
• New onset of wheezing

Most of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by something other than lung cancer. Still, if you have any of these problems, it’s important to see your doctor right away so the cause can be found and treated, if needed.

Lung cancer that is found at an earlier stage can be treated effectively. Lung cancer screening is important in people who are high risk. Sometimes lung cancer is found when a person has an imaging study done for another, unrelated reason.