What parts of lung cancer cause pain?

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-02-07

Pain is the body's warning to the brain, and the appearance of pain also helps us to judge the disease. Pain is rare in patients with lung cancer in the early stages, but it is a common symptom in the middle and late stages.

The occurrence of pain in lung cancer indicates that the tumor has invaded the surrounding tissues, and clinically, there are both bad and good sides.

It is not good because the tumor invasion is large, and the stage may be late, and the later the stage, the worse the prognosis; Fortunately, because pain is a relatively obvious symptom, it will attract people's attention, so as to go for examination as soon as possible, many patients are found in the advanced stage of lung cancer, that is, because the symptoms of lung cancer are not obvious, they are ignored.

OneLocalized pain

Local pain refers to pain caused by a primary tumor in the lungs or metastases within the lungs, mainly chest pain and shoulder and back pain.

Chest pain

About 1 in 4 percent of lung cancer patients are found with chest pain, which is also the most common type of pain in lung cancer patients.

What exactly does chest pain look like in lung cancer?

Chest pain caused by lung cancer often manifests as an irregular, dull pain in the chest that worsens with coughing.

This pain indicates that lung cancer has invaded nearby organs and tissues, and can also occur at an early stage.

In addition, if there is persistent, severe chest pain that is not easily controlled by drugs, it means that the tumor has invaded the chest wall tissue, which is usually extensive.

Shoulder and back pain

Shoulder and back pain is not thought to be related to lung cancer, but if there is persistent pain in the shoulder, chest and back, lung cancer should be considered.

Shoulder and back pain can occur when the tumor invades the tissues outside the chest wall.

Headaches

Headache due to the primary lesion of lung cancer is less common and is usually caused by tumor invasion of the mediastinum or metastatic enlargement of lymph nodes by the superior yuppie cava.

Obstruction of the superior vena cava return can cause superior vena cava syndrome, which can cause cerebral edema in severe cases, thereby causing headache, often accompanied by edema of the upper limbs, face, neck, varicose veins in the chest, drowsiness, blurred vision and other symptoms.

IIPain caused by transfer

The pain caused by lung cancer metastasis can occur in multiple parts of the body, and brain metastases, bone metastases, liver metastases, etc. of lung cancer can cause pain in corresponding parts.

Headaches

Brain metastasis is the main cause of headache in lung cancer, but it is not that headache occurs in lung cancer patients or brain metastasis.

Headache caused by brain metastases from lung cancer is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, unsteady walking, epilepsy, hemiplegia, blurred vision and other central nervous system symptoms.

Bone pain

Bone is also a common site of metastasis of lung cancer, especially the pelvis, spine and ribs.

The pain caused by bone metastasis of lung cancer is mostly persistent and intense, and in severe cases, fractures can occur and are difficult to heal.

Therefore, patients with bone metastasis must pay attention in their daily life, do not do strenuous exercise, do not hold heavy objects, do not do large movements, and fracture occurs on one side.

Abdominal pain

Liver metastasis of lung cancer can cause pain in the right upper quadrant, often accompanied by symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, diarrhea, and even jaundice and ascites.

Metastasis of other parts of lung cancer can also cause abdominal pain, such as pancreatic metastasis and gastrointestinal metastasis, which is rare in clinical practice.

Miscellaneous

Metastasis of other parts of lung cancer can also cause pain, such as renal metastasis, lymph node metastasis, adrenal metastasis, etc., which is rare in clinical practice, and most of the symptoms and pain are not obvious.

IIIPainful**

The pain of lung cancer is mainly the primary disease, and the tumor is controlled, and the pain will improve. The tumor is not an overnight success, it requires long-term persistence, so pain relief is essential.

Pain medications

The pain caused by lung cancer is often intense, persistent and unbearable, and taking painkillers can be effective in relieving the pain and relieving the patient's suffering.

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the current "three-step principle" is adopted for lung cancer pain, and suggestions are given in terms of drug type, drug dosage, drug time, etc., which can reduce drug dependence while achieving pain relief effect.

Painkillers can also be combined with traditional Chinese medicine**, which has a variety of painkillers such as regulating qi and relieving pain, invigorating blood and relieving pain, etc., and the analgesic effect is weak, but the effect is sustainable, stable and safe.

Miscellaneous

In addition to taking painkillers, there are other ways to achieve pain relief.

Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy can be performed for local bone metastases, brain metastases and other lesions, which can not only control tumor growth, but also achieve the effect of pain relief.

Pain pumps: For patients who do not respond well to oral pain medications, pain pumps can be used, which can be more effective when given intravenously.

Acupuncture and massage: Acupuncture and massage have the effect of dredging the meridians, regulating qi and blood, and have a certain pain-relieving effect on lung cancer pain.

Topical drugs: Some external painkillers and painkiller patches have an effect on local pain, but due to the particularity of tumors, topical drugs are rarely directly applied to the painful parts, so their effects are greatly reduced.

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