Lung Cancer

Lung cancer may not cause many symptoms in the early stages. But symptoms to watch for include:

• Newly developed cough or worsening of a chronic cough
• Coughing up blood
• Developing pneumonia or bronchitis many times
• Wheezing and shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Loss of appetite
• Unusual fatigue

The main cause of lung cancer is smoking. Lung cancer risk may also be increased by exposure to second-hand smoke, industrial chemicals, or polluted air or water.

Our doctors will first perform a detailed health history and physical examination. Tell your doctor if you smoke or smoked in the past. We’ll listen to your lungs, and we may ask you to perform breathing or pulmonary tests.

We may also diagnose cancer by using chest X-rays, an MRI scan, and/or a CT scan. Other tests that may be used include a bronchoscopy, which views the insides of your lungs, and a thoracoscopy, where a biopsy is taken of the lining inside and outside your lungs.

The treatment we recommend for lung cancer will depend on the type and stage of lung cancer you have. It can include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgery to remove the tumor, part of a lung, or all of a lung.