Early diagnosis of lung cancer
1. Pay attention to the early clinical manifestations of lung cancer.
Lung cancer patients, especially early stage patients, are often asymptomatic and only have symptoms common to general respiratory diseases, which often lead to misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis for most patients due to atypical and non-specific symptoms. Therefore, susceptible people, especially those with high-risk factors, should pay attention to the following early symptoms of lung cancer for early diagnosis of lung cancer.
(1) Cough: Lung cancer usually produces irritating cough because it grows on bronchopulmonary tissues, resulting in respiratory irritation symptoms. Age above 45 years old, especially unexplained frequent irritating dry cough; with tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis and change in the regularity of the original cough.
(2) Hemoptysis: there will be a small amount of bleeding when tumor inflammation causes tissue necrosis and capillary breakage, often mixed with sputum, showing intermittent blood in sputum, hemoptysis, hemoptysis; about 30%-50%.
(3) Chest pain: intermittent chest pain of uncertain location and uncertain relationship with breathing; accounting for 30%-60%.
(4) Chest tightness and shortness of breath: sudden progressive shortness of breath, chest tightness, chest X-ray with pleural effusion.
(5) Chest X-ray shows “inflammation of the lung”, which cannot be completely controlled by treatment, and the symptoms appear repeatedly or worsen.
(6) Symptoms caused by tumor metastasis: such as enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, hoarseness, pleural effusion, bone pain, etc.
(7) Fever: caused by obstruction of bronchus by tumor leading to obstructive pneumonia or cancerous fever, mostly low fever, which may improve after treatment, but often recurring.
(8) Extra-pulmonary symptoms: such as unexplained joint and muscle intractable pain, gynecomastia, etc.
In summary, it is important to raise the alertness to these symptoms, especially the susceptible people should go to the hospital in time once they have similar conditions. Early diagnosis of lung cancer plays an important role in treatment effect and prognosis.
2.Clinical examination.
Clinical screening of lung cancer has started in 1950s, from X-ray light, sputum exfoliative cytology, to bronchoscopy, etc. There are not yet recognized screening means, but early diagnosis of lung cancer can be made clinically from the following aspects.
(1) For high-risk groups, annual chest fluoroscopy or radiographic physical examination is recommended, and spiral CT scan should be performed when masses or shadows are found.
(2) For those with cough, sputum and blood in sputum, repeated sputum examination for cancer cells and/or bronchoscopy should be performed.
(3) Those with lung nodules or shadows found in chest X-ray but negative bronchoscopy can undergo CT localized puncture biopsy.
3.New technologies are applied in the clinic to improve the early diagnosis rate of lung cancer.
(1) Spiral CT and low-dose spiral CT.
(2) Fluorescence bronchoscopy.
(3) Sputum exfoliation cytology based on liquid-based cytology technology.
(4) Breathing gas detection.
(5) Gene chip and tumor marker testing.