Will early-stage lung cancer cause coughing up blood?

Written by Sun Ming Yue
Medical Oncology
Updated on April 27, 2025
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Patients with lung cancer, in the early stage, may have symptoms of coughing up blood. Some patients not only cough up blood but may also experience coughing or coughing up phlegm. In more severe cases, there may be symptoms of fever or difficulty breathing, and some may experience chest tightness or chest pain. If such conditions are detected, timely treatment is necessary to effectively alleviate the symptoms. It is recommended to consider chemotherapy or radiotherapy for treatment. Patients themselves must pay attention to rest and avoid excessive fatigue.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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Is a cough indicative of lung cancer?

Lung cancer occurs when the tissue cells in the lungs lose their normal genetic regulation, mutations occur in the genes, and normal tissue cells grow disorderly, forming a disease characterized mainly by tumors, known as lung cancer. The clinical manifestations of lung cancer can include choking cough, cough, coughing up blood, fever, weight loss, and other symptoms. However, it does not necessarily mean that a choking cough is definitely lung cancer. For example, conditions like bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even pneumonia and lung infections can cause choking coughs. Some colds may also present symptoms of choking cough. Therefore, a choking cough is not necessarily indicative of lung cancer. It is essential to consider the patient's age, occupation, smoking history, and if available, to combine this information with chest X-rays to make a comprehensive determination of whether it is lung cancer.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Is lung cancer contagious?

The occurrence of lung cancer is associated with smoking, air pollution, and working in environments such as coal mining. However, lung cancer is not contagious. Therefore, in clinical settings, family members of patients often ask doctors whether lung cancer can be transmitted through the respiratory tract. It can be assured that lung cancer is not contagious; only communicable diseases like tuberculosis can be spread this way.

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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What is good to eat for lung cancer?

For dietary recommendations regarding lung cancer, the first suggestion is to maintain a regular diet and lifestyle with a routine schedule, focusing on easy-to-digest and absorbable foods. The second suggestion is to enhance nutrition intake, for instance, by consuming more eggs, milk, and other high animal protein foods, such as quality protein sources. The third suggestion is to eat more healthy green foods, such as vegetables and fruits, focusing on fresh items. The fourth point is to advise against smoking and drinking alcohol, and to consume fewer irritating foods.

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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How to check for lung cancer?

How to check for lung cancer, firstly, for lung cancer screening, particularly in people over forty years old, especially smokers, it is recommended to regularly undergo low-dose spiral CT scans of the chest. Secondly, if a tumor is detected, it is suggested to proceed with enhanced CT scans, sputum cytology tests, or PET-CT. If it is confirmed that there is a tumor in the lungs, then a biopsy is needed. The biopsy can be performed under bronchoscopy, or transthoracic lung puncture and biopsy of living tissue can also be done, as well as biopsy of metastatic lesions or cytological examination of pleural effusion to diagnose whether it is lung cancer, the type of lung cancer, and certain immunohistochemical situations.

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Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
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Can early-stage lung cancer cause shoulder pain?

In the early stages of lung cancer, it generally does not cause shoulder pain. Early-stage lung cancer often does not involve critical structures and typically does not produce noticeable clinical symptoms. However, a small number of central lung cancers may cause symptoms related to coughing. Moreover, shoulder pain can occur in cases of lung cancer, often seen in superior sulcus tumors. A superior sulcus tumor, also known as a Pancoast tumor, is a tumor located at the top of the lung. As the tumor grows, it may compress the brachial plexus nerves, leading to symptoms such as shoulder pain and throat pain. It can also cause symptoms like enophthalmos (sunken eyeball) and pupil constriction. Therefore, when encountering these signs clinically, it is necessary to consider the possibility of a superior sulcus tumor and conduct examinations like a chest CT scan for evaluation.