LUNG CANCER- Early Diagnosis
Symptoms and signs indicating urgent chest X-ray and urgent and immediate referral.
Symptoms and signs suggesting lung cancer requiring an urgent referral for chest X-ray include the following:
haemoptysis
unexplained or persistent (that is, lasting more than 3 weeks):
cough
chest/shoulder pain
dyspnoea
weight loss
chest signs
hoarseness
finger clubbing
features suggesting metastasis from a lung cancer (for example, in brain, bone, liver or skin)
cervical/supraclavicular lymphadenopathy.
Symptoms and signs suggesting lung cancer requiring an urgent referral to a member of the lung cancer multidisciplinary team (either directly or while awaiting the result of a chest X-ray) include:
persistent haemoptysis in smokers/ex-smokers older than 40 years
signs of superior vena cava obstruction (swelling of the face/neck with fixed elevation of jugular venous pressure)
stridor.
Offer urgent referral to lung cancer MDT (usually the chest physician) if:
a chest X-ray or CT scan suggests lung cancer (including pleural effusion and slowly resolving consolidation) or
chest X-ray is normal but there is a high suspicion of lung cancer.
G Mohan.