Have I got lung cancer?

Factual Questions
1

Okay, first off, a little information about me:

I am twenty years of age.

I have been smoking (Marlboro Lights FYI) for about the last 5/6 months at an average of 10 per day. Before August of this year I had never smoked anything.

My father has always smoked (Silk Cut Ultra Mild) since I was little and I’ve always been exposed to his smoke.

I suffer from obsessive complusive disorder which manifests itself as acute hypochondria. While I am on anti depressants for the OCD (and they’re working pretty well) I’m still worry a lot about my health.

Since the age of seven when I contracted asthma I’ve had a weak chest. Having said that I’ve not had an actual asthma attack since the age of 8. My asthma rarely causes problems.

Now let’s look at this fairly comprehensive list of lung cancer symptoms:

The most common symptoms are:

cough - Check. For the last two days I’ve had a bad cough. Some of the coughing fits I have had have caused me to double over and dry retch.
chest pain - Not really. There is a very slight sense of discomfort in the left side of my chest but it’s negligible.
coughing up blood - About an hour ago I just hawked up a mixture of phlegm and spit and I saw a tiny bit of blood in the tissue. This really freaked me out and was the catalyst for this post. In the intervening 59 minutes I’ve not coughed up any more blood but I’ve hardly stopped coughing for more than one minute.
repeated or slow-to-resolve chest infections This is the third illness I’ve had where one of the main symptoms is a deep wracking cough (I hesitate to say chest infection in case I’m wrong) I’ve had this year. I’ve had them all since I started smoking six months ago (having said that, I generally get one cold per year). The first cleared up relatively quickly (just over a week) the second took nearly three weeks to clear up.

tiredness - Today I’ve done nothing but sleep but apart from that I’ve not felt especially tired.

weight loss - No.

loss of appetite - No. My appetite is still as strong as ever.

breathlessness - Since this cough started yesterday I’ve felt slightly short of breath (but only slightly). However, even slight breathlessness is a great annoyance for me and it has prompted me to use my Ventolin asthma inhaler about 15-20 times (at a guess) in the past two days (and yes, I know this is a slight overdose).

**wheeze ** - Yes, since yesterday

a hoarse voice - No.

So, that’s everything. Based on what I’ve told you, how high are my chances of having lung cancer?

P.S. - I’m going to try and see a doctor as soon as possible regardless there’s no need to post if the only thing you’re going to do is tell me to get myself checked out.

P.P.S. - My words are not hollow. I’m never smoking again. If anyone hijacks this thread with diatribes about how bad smoking is for you then I’ll have the thread locked.

P.P.P.S. - Please excuse my terseness, I’m quite freaked out.

2

In case it’s not clear from the context, I’ve never coughed up blood before. Just thought I should make that 100% clear.

3

If you’re coughing up blood, go to a doctor already!

Go to the doctor’s, go directly to the doctor’s, Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

If you’ve waited to finish this post, you have waited to long.

4

The fact that it’s 05:30 in the morning here where I am does hamper your suggestion somewhat. Nonetheless you can rest assured. I’ve already thought of it. I’m going to my local hospital tomorrow and then I’ll make a doctors appointment for monday (GP’s in the UK don’t tend to work weekends).

5

It might help you to look at it from the other side, since it is one particular symptom that is really causing this: Coughing Up Blood

And to be realistic, of all the things that could be causing this, why would you assume it is the worst and also probably least likely?

6

I once vomitted up blood when suffering from a really bad virus. Turned out I’d ruptured a little blood vessel in my throat from all the retching. Freaked me out too.

7

I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive disorder and the primary manifestation of this is acute hypochondria (I also have a few quirky rituals about locking doors, cleaning my teeth and washing out tea cups but they’re not very relevant). Hypochindriacs always tend to leap for the worst possible diagnosis because it’s better to be safe than sorry. Rationally, I know I’ve probably not got lung cancer but that doesn’t do anything whatsoever to dispel my anxiety.

Thank you very much for the cite, by the way.

8

Does anyone know if the same effect can be achieved with heavy coughing?

9
  1. Go to the doctor
  2. Stop smoking
10
  1. Read the end of my OP
11

I get this sometimes when the weather gets a little dry or when I am sick. In any case, see a doctor as soon as possible. If for no other reason than to set your mind at ease.

I remember from the years I smoked that it would take me a long time to recover from a cold. Since I’ve quit my hacking shit up stage has gone from two weeks to about three days.

12

I’m not a doctor, and you’re going to go see one anyway…
Nope. You don’t have lung cancer. You aren’t in a risk group worth getting freaked out about. Get the hypochondria treated, get the chest infection treated.

Hate to break it to you, but you’re going to live.

13

Your chances of having lung cancer are not zero, but they are very, very, VERY small. Pneumonia or bronchitis are more likely by far. Do go to a doctor as soon as possible so your illness can be properly treated, but try to lay off the worrying. :slight_smile:

14

It would seem, based on my google investigations, that there has never been a reported case of a 20 year old contracting lung cancer (and by the way, if anyone knows to the contrary please let me know in this thread) so the odds are pretty small. I’ll still go see a doctor and I’d love it if a qualified MD could come and give me his/her professional opinion.

Thank you to everyone who’s come forth with answers and resisted the temptation to poke fun at my hystrionics which I’m sure must have been rather strong :slight_smile:

15

IANAD, yet.

Sounds most probably like bronchitis, which can cause blood streaked sputum in some extreme cases. I had bronchitis as a kid and was coughed so hard that I would vomit. It lasted months.

The differential diagnosis for hemoptysis (coughing up blood) goes something like this:

  1. Lung cancer
  2. Tuberculosis
  3. Viral traceobronchitis
  4. Certain pneumonias (can also pretty commonly give a rusty brown sputum which can be mistaken for blood)
  5. Other rare stuff (AV malformations, rarer infections, etc.)

But the order changes depending on age group and risk factors. You have what we would call a 1/4 pack-year history of smoking (1/2 pack for 1/2 year), although the secondhand smoke exposure can skew this. People who we worry about for smoking induced lung cancer often have upwards of 30 pack-year histories. I’ve seen someone (not in the hospital for lung problems) with a 240 pack-year history. This doesn’t mean it isn’t lung cancer, just highly unlikely. There are rare lung cancers which can happen without much of a smoking history in younger people.

Given your history, a chest X-ray and a few other tests like sputum cultures and a PPD should be placed to rule out TB. Perhaps blood panels to see a white blood cell count with a differential. You may leave the doctor’s office with some antibiotics, but there may be no good reason for that because your thing sounds quite viral on the surface. No fever, no shaking chills, no purulent sputum, chronic, etc. This is not a reason not to take the pills – they may stave off secocndary bacterial infections of the damaged respiratory lining.

You perhaps could have developed a chronic inflammation of the lung caused primarily by the asthma (even though you haven’t had attacks). You may be given a course of inhaled steroids to cut down on this. Many of my family members had asthma as kids and have developed chronic bronchitis as adults, which is treated with steroids.

If this doesn’t resolve with treatment, further testing for things like genetic disorders (alpha-antitrypsin deficiency, Kartagener’s Syndrome) may be warranted. But I wouldn’t worry.

16

Do, I accidentally deleted a line. After the quotes I should have put

“Thanks guys. That’s very reassuring to hear”

17

20 years old is kind of an inbetween trough age for cancer presentation. Too old for pediatric cancers, too young for adult onset cancers. Certainly there are cancers that happen in this age range, and certainly some of these can present (or metastasize into the lung) – Hodgkin’s, testicular cancer, etc. But for primary lung cancer in a twenty year old – extraordinarily rare, but it does happen.

18

Ben Hicks said:

edwino responds:

Notwithstanding this troubling sequence, edwino offers:

(emphasis added)

OK, everyone. Can someone tell me what’s wrong here?

19

Oh, that’s good. Let’s wip out the Encyclopedia of Extremely Really Bizarro Diseases that Nobody Actually Ever Gets but Maybe Could Get and mess with the guy who’s prone to hypochondria and kinda freaked out right now.

20

Dr. Gauss and levdrakon
I’m just answering his question, yo. I’m of the opinion that the more information, the better. Better than him getting worried about lung cancer or finding inappropriate information in an unanalyzed form on the internet. You try searching for “bloody coughs” and see what it turns up. I betcha its a helluva lot scarier than my list. My goal here is to provide information in an unbiased setting. I gave the appropriate warning, caveat emptor and the whole business. He’s going to the doctor anyway.

I may not know much, but I can work up a guy with a cough. Gimme a little break here. And the geneticist in me feels compelled to mention the bizarro diseases. Anyway, a 20 year old with possible bronchiectasis (wheezy chronic cough and chest problems) or chronic bronchitis at least deserves consideration for alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.