What is the shoulder pain caused by lung cancer? Shoulder pain caused by lung cancer can be a radiating pain or a dull pain, which is caused by the compression of the intercostal nerve by the tumor, resulting in the symptoms in the nerve distribution area. It can also be caused by the metastasis of supraclavicular lymph nodes from lung cancer, which compresses the brachial plexus nerve and causes shoulder pain. Tumor patients have chest pain because the tumor directly invades the pleura, ribs, chest wall and intercostal nerve, etc. Depending on the invasion site, different pains can be produced, including dull pain, vague pain, and when the tumor invades the ribs and spine, there can be local pressure pain at this time. Therefore, the pain is different according to the invasion site of tumor. Shoulder pain is a radiating pain, which is caused by the nerve distribution area.