Young Woman Smoking Cigarette
Although back pain can be associated with a variety of non-life-threatening diseases, conditions and sources of stress, it can also indicate the serious medical condition of lung cancer. If you are experiencing back pain and a doctor has found spots on your lungs, it is important to request additional tests to determine whether you may be affected by lung cancer. Unfortunately, back pain and spots on the lungs are one of the first signs of lung cancer
Diagnosis
Spots are often found on the lungs through an X-ray or CT scan. The doctor may refer to this spot as a "pulmonary module" or a "suspicious mass." Further tests will need to be done to determine whether the lung spots are related to lung cancer. These tests may include an analysis of sputum, matter from the throat and lungs, to detect if any cancer cells are present. A bronchoscopy is a visual examination of the lungs, which may also include the removal and examination of a small piece of lung tissue. If these tests are inconclusive, a needle biopsy may be ordered, which entails inserting a hollow needle into the suspicious mass and aspirating some of the matter into a syringe for analysis.
Symptoms
Symptoms of lung cancer commonly include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, difficult swallowing, weight loss, increased fatigue and respiratory infections. Although it may seem unusual, many people with lung cancer also have a deep ache or pain in the shoulders or back. This pain often does not go away, and gets continually worse as time goes on. This pain cannot be relieved through changing positions or lying down. It is simply a constant, dull ache in the back. For many people, back pain is one of their first symptoms of lung cancer.
Effects
Lung cancer can cause back pain in a variety of ways. First, the tumor or nodule on the lungs may grow large enough that it begins putting pressure on the nerves of the spine. As this pressure grows, the pain gets worse. This explains why changing positions cannot relieve the pain; the tumor will still always be pressing against the nerves. Another option is that the lung cancer may have spread to the bones or other structures of the spine. A doctor may order a bone scan to determine whether the bones in the spine have been affected. Naturally, the spread of cancer to other areas of the body is quite serious. The cancer can spread directly through infiltration of other body parts or by traveling through blood vessels.
Treatment
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States among men and women. Surgery is the preferred treatment among people with early stages of lung cancer. During this surgery, either a portion of the affected lung or the entire lung may be removed. Chemotherapy may also be used to kill lung cancer cells. Chemotherapy is most effective for small cell lung cancer and is occasionally successful at treating non-small cell lung cancer. Radiation therapy may also be used to treat lung cancer. With his procedure, high-energy X-rays are used to send radiation toward the cancer, which aims to destroy the cancer cells. In addition to these advanced procedures, a variety of medications will likely be prescribed to manage the pain and fatigue associated with lung cancer.
Prevention
Lung cancer is strongly correlated with cigarette smoking. In fact, WebMD estimates that about 90 percent of all lung cancers arise as a result of tobacco use. To prevent lung cancer and its associated back pain, avoiding tobacco is the best option. This includes not only first-hand smoke, but also second-hand smoke. Take extra precautions to limit your inhalation of second-hand smoke by not allowing people to smoke inside your home, avoiding smoke-filled restaurants and venues and asking your friends and family not to smoke around you.
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