Lung Cancer Symptoms in Men
In medical terms, lung cancer is known as bronchogenic carcinoma and although it starts in the lungs, it can easily spread to other parts of the body. It is one of the types of cancer with a high mortality rate. Statistics say that every 30 seconds, someone in the world dies of lung cancer. The key to overcoming any cancer is early detection, which makes it very important to be able to identify the lung cancer symptoms in men.
The most common symptoms of lung cancer include:
- Chronic coughing
- Chest pain
- A perenially hoarse voice
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
- Weight loss and anorexia
- Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum
- Unexplained fatigue or body malaise
However, there are lung cancer symptoms in men that differ from that in women. In fact, studies show that men are more likely to develop the aforementioned typical symptoms of lung cancer than women.
The type of lung cancer that most commonly occurs in men and women are different and it follows that these different types of lung cancer have different symptoms. Why lung cancer symptoms in men differ from those in women can be due to the fact that there are more men who smoke compared to women. This makes men more prone to cancers related to smoking compared to women, who are more prone to the non-smoking type of lung cancer known as adenocarcinoma.
In men, the most common type of lung cancer is squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs. Lung cancer symptoms in men include:
- Chronic cough
- Coughing up blood
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Repeated lung infections like bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial tubes) and pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs due to a viral or bacterial infection)
Although these symptoms are similar to those in lung cancer in women, the location of the tumors in squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs makes it more prominent. The tumors in this type of lung cancer usually grow near the central airway, which blocks the passageway of air. This causes difficulty in breathing and the tendency for the lungs to collapse due to the increased pressure caused the blockage.
Another distinct and more common lung cancer symptom in men than in women is the occurrence of paneoplastic syndrome. Paneoplastic syndrome is a group of symptoms caused by tumors that secrete hormone-like substances which are seen most often in small cell lung carcinomas which more men are more prone to.
Some journals have reported that several biological factors contribute to the difference in lung cancer symptoms in men and women. These include how the body breaks down nicotine and the way the body activates and detoxifies tobacco and tobacco carcinogens, genetic factors, and hormonal differences.
While there has been a lot of recent evidence that proves that lung cancer symptoms in men are different from that in women, more investigation is still required in order to better understand what exacly make them different. Identifying significant symptoms in men and women, especially in the early stages, could prevent the cancer from spreading and offer patients a better prognosis. Further studies could also greatly contribute to more effective treatments, especially in advanced stages of lung cancer.