A persistent, unyielding rattle in the chest, coughing up blood, and mysterious weight loss are some of the most well-known signs of lung cancer.
But shoulder and arm pain can also be a subtle sign that you have the disease that kills around 35,000 Britons every year, around four every hour.
This form of the disease is called pancoast tumor and occurs when cancer develops in the upper part of the lung, most commonly in the cells that line the airways.
From here, the growing tumor can begin to pinch the blood vessels and nerves leading to the shoulder and arm, causing a painful sensation in the limb.
This can also cause other problems, such as changes in one eye or an inability to sweat on one side of the face.
Shoulder and arm pain could be a subtle sign that you are suffering from a rare form of lung cancer, a disease that kills around 35,000 Britons every year, around four every hour.
Luncheon cancer, although not the most common form of the disease, is a leading cause of cancer death in the UK, with a survival rate of just 10 per cent.
Pancoast tumors are a rare form of lung cancer. Only one in 20 people affected by the disease will develop it, which is equivalent to around 2,500 Britons each year.
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, with around 50,000 diagnoses per year, accounting for 13 per cent of all new cancer cases per year.
It’s also incredibly deadly. Only one in 10 patients diagnosed with the disease is expected to survive for more than a decade.
Patients with Pancoast tumors may face even more difficult times.
Doctors find it difficult to diagnose them because in their initial, more treatable stages, they do not show up as easily on scans.
Additionally, its catalog of unusual symptoms, such as shoulder pain and facial changes, may lead doctors to suspect another condition, rather than cancer, as the cause.
Like most forms of cancer, treatment for Pancoast tumors varies depending on the precise location and size of the cancer.
Surgery to remove the tumor is often difficult, requiring the removal of multiple ribs and the replacement of key blood vessels with artificial tubes.
Patients may also need to undergo cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy as an alternative or precursor to surgery to shrink the tumor.
While the persistent symptoms of a Pancoast tumor should not be ignored, the main signs in 95 percent of cases are respiratory or an impact on general health.
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These include a persistent cough that does not go away after three weeks, repeated respiratory infections, coughing up blood, pain when breathing, persistent shortness of breath and fatigue, and unexpected weight loss.
Other more unusual signs of lung cancer include changes in the appearance of the fingers, difficulty or pain swallowing, wheezing, voice changes, and swelling of the face or neck.
Anyone with any of these signs should see their GP.
Data from the charity Cancer Research UK suggests that one in 13 British women and one in 14 men will suffer from lung cancer in their lifetime.
The vast majority of cases of the disease, about four in five, are believed to be preventable.
Approximately 72 per cent of all cases of lung disease in the UK are thought to be caused by smoking.
Another eight percent is thought to be due to prolonged exposure to air pollution, such as that caused by vehicle emissions.
The impact of smoking on British health was cited by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial proposal to ban outdoor smoking in places such as pub gardens.
However, several respected oncologists have described the policy as going too far in limiting people’s right to make decisions about their health.
