Last Stages of Lung Cancer

The last stages of lung cancer present new symptoms and different treatments.

The last stages of lung cancer are when you suffer from cancer that was once just in the lungs but that has now spread to other parts of your body. You can be found to have final stage lung cancer at the beginning of your disease or you can be diagnosed with cancer when the tumor was small and it may gradually become the final stages of lung cancer. In some cases, you can have your cancer "cured" and it can come back as the last stages of lung cancer.

Lung cancer can spread in the same area where it first showed up. This is called "local spread". Lung cancer can also spread by means of the blood vessels and lymph vessels. This is called "metastatic spread". Still, other advanced forms of lung cancer can spread by growing cancer cells in the fluid around the lung. This is called having a "pleural effusion".

What are the symptoms of advanced lung cancer?

The symptoms you have when the cancer has spread are different depending on where the cancer travels to. It can travel to the lymph nodes in the chest, armpit, neck or abdomen and you can have swelling and pain in the areas the tumor has spread to. The cancer can travel to the liver; this can result in the development of yellowing of the eyes and skin. The liver can get bigger and be painful. Lung cancer can spread to the bones and can cause you to have pain in the bones. Many areas of bone can be affected. In other cases, the brain can develop lung cancer and you can get headaches or symptoms of a stroke.

In other words, the symptoms you get depend on where the cancer has spread. Another common problem with the last stages of lung cancer is weight loss. You lose weight because you don’t feel as hungry with advanced lung cancer and the cancer cells steal nutrition from the rest of the body. You lose weight even if you are eating well.

Final lung cancer stages create new challenges for lung cancer sufferers.

Some people drink nutritional supplements in order to stay as healthy as they can. You shouldn’t smoke if you have advanced lung cancer as this can affect the ability of the lungs to breathe well.

YYou need to keep ahead of the pain you are feeling. Almost everyone in the final stages of lung cancer has pain. The pain can be in your chest, your head, your abdomen or your bones. You may feel a generalized pain that does not go away unless you take pain medication.

Your doctor may prescribe strong painkillers for you when you are in the last stages of lung cancer. The medications may be taken by mouth or your doctor may recommend intravenous (through the vein) pain medication for you to take for severe pain. Do not be afraid to take as much pain medication as it takes to control your pain.

You may not be as active as you once were when you have final stage lung cancer. Still, you should try to be as active as your pain will allow or your body will quickly weaken, leaving you in bed. Try to allow yourself to get up to go to the bathroom by yourself as much as possible so you get some exercise. Try to sit up for meals and spend time sitting up every day so that you don’t lose the muscles you need to get around.

Written by Dr. Christine Traxler
July 2009
Reviewed by Natalie Thomas
08-11-09