Cough is a common symptom of lung cancer, but it is by no means unique. It is very difficult to distinguish lung cancer from other diseases by cough alone. Doctors also need to screen by other symptoms and signs.
What are the characteristics of lung cancer cough?
Lung cancer causes cough mainly because the tumor itself or secretions irritate the bronchial mucosa. The cough manifestations vary from person to person depending on where, how and how fast the tumor grows in the lung. There are paroxysmal, irritating choking cough without sputum, and some people will cough up a lot of mucus sputum. Patients often have “bloody sputum” or hemoptysis, shortness of breath or wheezing, chest pain and tightness, hoarseness, choking on water, difficulty in swallowing, superior vena cava obstruction syndrome, Horner’s syndrome, etc. They may also have systemic symptoms such as fever, weight loss and loss of appetite. This type of cough often does not improve without antitumor therapy.
What are the common diseases that cause cough?
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Pneumonia
Pneumonia refers to inflammation of the lungs caused by different pathogens or other factors and can be caused by disease microorganisms, physicochemical factors, immune damage, allergies, and medications. Among them, bacterial pneumonia is the most common. Patients may present with fever, cough, sputum, and dyspnea. Effective treatment against the pathogen will make the condition better.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects many organs, with tuberculosis infection of the lungs being the most common.
Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not necessarily lead to disease onset, but rather to clinical morbidity when resistance is reduced or cell-mediated metaplasia is increased. Some patients can recall a history of exposure to the tuberculosis bacillus, and the onset of the disease can be rapid or slow. In addition to cough, there may be coughing, hemoptysis, chest pain, varying degrees of chest tightness, or dyspnea. It may be accompanied by low afternoon fever, night sweats, malaise, decreased food intake, weight loss, and menstrual disorders in women. Anti-tuberculosis treatment is effective.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”)
“Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic disease that is not fully reversible and causes coughing, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and dyspnea, as well as damage to extra-pulmonary tissues such as bone, skeletal muscle, heart, and other organs. It has been found that the development of slow-onset lung disease includes both individual susceptibility factors as well as environmental factors, which interact with each other. The most important environmental factors are smoking, exposure to occupational dust and chemicals.
Bronchial asthma (asthma)
Asthma is a chronic airway inflammation involving multiple cells and cellular components, often accompanied by increased airway reactivity causing recurrent episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, mostly at night and/or in the early morning.
Asthma has a genetic predisposition, and inhalation of allergens (e.g., mites, pollen, etc.) may provoke the condition, and symptomatic and desensitization treatments are effective.
Pulmonary bruising
This refers to the presence of blood pooling in the blood vessels of the lungs, usually caused by left heart failure and obstruction of pulmonary venous return. Patients often present with shortness of breath, hypoxia, cyanosis (cyanotic changes in the skin and mucous membranes), and coughing up large amounts of plasma pink foamy sputum on coughing. Treatment requires active search for the cause of the disease.
Co-reviewed by: Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute Dr. Zhiyong Chen Dr. Jiatao Zhang
Co-authors: Dr. Ma Yue, Department of Oncology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University