If the tumor is located in the center of the bronchial tree, symptoms may appear early in the form of a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or the chronic production of sputum. Unfortunately, these symptoms may also be signs of other chronic diseases of the lung that result from smoking. This confusion of symptoms, often delays the diagnosis of the lung cancer. If the tumor forms on the outside of the lung wall, the patient may not experience symptoms until the tumor has become very large and has spread to other areas. Other symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite, excessive calcium in the blood, anemia, and bone pain may also be present.
Lung cancer remains a very difficult disease to treat effectively.
The best approach today to take with this disease is one of prevention. In the future, science may provide the key to other preventives or curative drug therapies for this devastating disease. Additionally, vitamin A and beta- carotene have been shown experimentally to decrease the risk for the development of lung cancer. Bibliography Lo, Darby, Noakes, Whitley, Silcocks, Fleming, and Bell, 1995. Screening for codon 249 p53 mutation in lung cancer associated with domestic radon exposure.