There are a lot of reasons that cause back pain that is not even related to cancer. But back pain can be a symptom of certain types of cancer, one of which is lung cancer. As per the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, almost 25 percent of the people with lung cancer have experienced back pain. In fact, back pain is the first lung cancer symptom that people notice before the diagnosis. Your back pain might be a symptom of lung cancer or it may arise as a side effect of cancer treatment.
Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer
If you think that your back pain is a symptom of lung cancer, consider whether you have any of these other common symptoms – a nagging cough that keeps getting worse, constant pain in the chest, blood in cough, shortness of breath or breathlessness, wheezing, hoarseness, fatigue, headache, chronic pneumonia or bronchitis, swelling of neck and face, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
Learning about the risk factors for lung cancer can help you determine if the pain in your back could be a symptom of lung cancer. The odds of you getting lung cancer increases with certain behaviors.
Consumption of Tobacco Products
Almost 85% to 90% of patients suffering from lung cancer had been smoking cigarettes.
Passive Smoking
Passive smoking or secondhand smoking is another reason that causes lung cancer in individuals. The sad thing about this is that passive smokers need not even have habits like smoking. Approximately, 7,300 non-smokers die all over the US due to lung cancer caused by passive smoking.
Been Exposed to Radioactive Element(s)?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified radon, a radioactive noble gas, as the second leading cause of lung cancer. It results in about 14% of the total lung cancer cases (or almost 23,000 cases) in the country each year.
Been Exposed to Carcinogens?
Exposure to substances like asbestos, arsenic, chromium, and diesel exhaust can also result in lung cancer.
Preventing Lung Cancer from Spreading
Early detection and diagnosis improve the chances of curing cancer. However, lung cancer usually doesn’t show many symptoms that can be recognized in its earlier stages. Early-stage lung cancer is mostly diagnosed while a doctor is checking for something not related to it. Your doctor might be checking up on a chest X-ray for a rib fracture and diagnose you with lung cancer.
