Lung cancer in women: Signs and symptoms

                             

Recent research, however, has found some key differences between men and women when it comes to cancers, and to lung cancer in particular.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in both men and women, with more than 200,000 Americans predicted to be diagnosed in 2017 alone.

Despite far fewer women smoking cigarettes than men, they still account for nearly half of all new cases. And even though cancer deaths in men have been declining since 1990, lung cancer deaths among women continue to rise.

In this article, we look at lung cancer specifically in women, including the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Contents of this article:

1. Risk factors
2. Symptoms
3. Types of lung cancer
4. Genetic causes and hormones
5. Treatment
6. Outlook

Risk factors

• The single greatest risk factor for lung cancer is smoking cigarettes and inhalation of secondhand smoke. This is regardless of gender.

The risk factors for developing lung cancer are similar in both men and women and include:

• family history
• prior medical history of lung cancer or disease
• exposure to asbestos, smoke, or radon
• poor diet
• cigarette smoking
• exposure to secondhand smoke

Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke remains by and large the biggest and most significant risk factor associated with lung cancer.

However, among nonsmokers, women may be at a higher risk than men. A study published in Seminars of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeryfound that: "In the U.S. and Europe, approximately 20 percent of women with lung cancer have never smoked versus 2-6 percent of nonsmoking men."

The authors suggested that this difference signaled that there were further differences in the risks and progression of lung cancer in women compared with men.

Symptoms

Men and women also experience very similar symptoms of lung cancer, which can include the following:

• persistent and worsening cough
• ongoing chest pain
• coughing up blood
• shortness of breath
• wheezing
• hoarseness of the voice
• difficulty swallowing
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• fatigue
• recurrent lung infections, such as pneumonia or bronchitis

Anyone experiencing these symptoms is encouraged to see their doctor to discuss their concerns.