Common symptoms of lung cancer are:

• Chest pain 
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• A cough that won’t go away or coughing up blood
• Weight loss without trying
• Feeling tired a lot 

These symptoms can happen for other reasons besides cancer. If you have symptoms like those listed above, you should talk to your provider to find out the reason. 

Yes, lung cancer can spread to other parts of the body. If it does, the symptoms may change based on the part of the body to which the cancer has spread. 

There are many ways your doctor may find lung cancer. Your doctor might do one or more of the following:

• A physical exam
• An imaging test, like an X-ray or CT scan  
• A biopsy (taking a sample of tissue from your body and testing it)
• Lab tests and other screening tests, such as a blood test 

In the United States, lung cancer leads to more deaths than any other kind of cancer. It's the third most common form of cancer. 

You have greater chances of getting lung cancer if:

• You smoke, this is the main cause of lung cancer 
• You're around secondhand smoke or smoke from other people’s cigarettes, pipes or cigars 
• You have a personal or family history of lung cancer

• Don’t smoke
  
• Limit how much you're around secondhand smoke 

How we care for lung cancer depends on many factors: 

• Type of cancer
• Size of the cancer
• Where the cancer is located in the body 
• Stage of cancer 

Your doctor will work with you to find the right care plan for you. Some examples of treatment include:

• Surgery to remove cancer 
• Chemotherapy (using medication to make the cancer smaller or to kill cancer cells)
• Radiation (using X-rays to kill cancer cells)
• Targeted therapy (using drugs to stop cancer cells from growing and spreading)
• Ablation to kill tumors without removing them 
• Immunotherapy (using the body’s immune system that naturally fights illness)