The ‘silent’ symptom of the deadliest cancer that emerges on your shoulder – and 3 other signs
EVERYONE thinks they know all the cancer symptoms.
The emergence of an unexplained lump, weight loss and tiredness are all common signs.
But did you know that shoulder pain can also be an indication of the deadly disease?
According to Cancer Research UK, a very rare type of lung cancer – known as a Pancoast tumour – causes severe shoulder pain.
The pain might also travel down the arm or up the head and neck.
The tumour grows at the top of the lung and often presses on the nerve that runs up from the neck to that side of the face.
Other symptoms include:
- drooping or weakness of one eyelid
- a small pupil in the same eye
- loss of sweating on one side of the face
Pancoast tumours make up less than five in every 100 lung cancer cases.
Treatment depends on the cancer’s size and position, as well as the patient’s general health.
Chemo and radiotherapy may be used to shrink the tumour, as well as if the cancer has spread.
Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, leading to more than 35,000 deaths a year.
But spotting it early can help your prognosis, often allowing doctors to stop the disease in its tracks before it spreads to other parts of the body.
Some of the more general symptoms of the disease are:
- a persistent cough
- coughing up blood
- persistent breathlessness
- unexplained tiredness and weight loss
- an ache or pain when breathing or coughing
a less common sign of the disease can affect your fingers – and a simple test you can perform at home could reveal if you are at risk of lung cancer.
All you need to do is take the ‘diamond gap’ finger test, also known as the Schamroth window test.
This involves placing your nails together to see if there’s a diamond-shaped space between your cuticles.
If there isn’t a space, this is a sign of what’s called finger clubbing, when the tips of your fingers become rounded and bulbous.
You should see a GP if you have any of these symptoms.
In the event of an emergency, always call 999 or go to your nearest A&E department.