Table 2 Symptoms reported by participants, stratified by all and first symptom/s and diagnostic group
Primary lung cancer (LC) ( n =153) | No cancer (NC) ( n =753) | Other lung cancer (OC) ( n =57) | Total cohort ( n =963) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symptom | All symptoms | First symptoms | All symptoms | First symptoms | All symptoms | First symptoms | All symptoms | First symptoms |
Symptoms in questionnaire | ||||||||
Coughing up blood | 33 (21.6%) a | 7 (4.6%) | 89 (11.8%) | 42 (5.6%) | 8 (14.4%) | 4 (7.0%) | 130 (13.5%) | 53 (5.5%) |
Cough or worsening cough >3 weeks | 86 (56.2%) | 61 (39.9%) b | 478 (63.5%) | 382 (50.7%) | 19 (33.3%) | 16 (28.1%) | 583 (60.5%) | 459 (47.7%) |
Breathlessness or worsening >3 weeks | 63 (41.2%) | 40 (26.1%) | 324 (43.0%) | 199 (26.4%) | 27 (47.4%) | 17 (29.8%) | 414 (43.0%) | 256 (26.6%) |
Chest/shoulder pain >3 weeks | 54 (35.3%) | 24 (15.7%) | 216 (28.7%) | 110 (14.6%) | 14 (24.6%) | 8 (14.1%) | 284 (29.5%) | 142 (14.8%) |
Hoarseness >3 weeks | 19 (12.4%) | 10 (6.5%) | 137 (18.2%) | 75 (10.0%) | 5 (8.8%) | 4 (7.0%) | 161 (16.7%) | 89 (9.2%) |
Decreased appetite | 34 (22.2%) | 18 (11.8%) | 123 (16.3%) | 60 (8.0%) | 20 (35.1%) | 9 (15.8%) | 177 (18.4%) | 87 (9.0%) |
Unexplained weight loss | 23 (15.0%) a | 11 (7.2%) | 69 (9.2%) | 30 (4.0%) | 15 (26.3%) | 5 (8.8%) | 107 (11.1%) | 46 (4.8%) |
Fatigue or tiredness ‘unusual for you’ | 69 (45.1%) | 40 (26.1%) | 301 (40.0%) | 179 (23.8%) | 24 (42.1%) | 12 (21.1%) | 394 (40.9%) | 231 (24.0%) |
Different ‘in yourself’ | 53 (34.6%) | 28 (18.3%) | 279 (37.1%) | 168 (22.3%) | 28 (49.2%) | 16 (28.1%) | 360 (37.4%) | 212 (22.1%) |
Other symptoms reported by participants | ||||||||
Backache | 4 (2.6%) | 7 (4.6%) | 11 (1.5%) | 46 (6.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 15 (1.6%) | 53 (5.5%) |
Chest infection, respiratory illness | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (3.3%) | 19 (2.5%) | 37 (4.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (5.3%) | 19 (2.0%) | 45 (4.7%) |
Sickness, indigestion | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (0.8%) | 16 (2.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (0.6%) | 16 (1.7%) |
Difficulty swallowing | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (1.3%) | 2 (0.3%) | 6 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.8%) | 2 (0.2%) | 9 (0.9%) |
Pain (excluding chest, shoulder and back) | 2 (1.3%) | 3 (2.0%) | 6 (0.8%) | 4 (0.5%) | 1 (1.8%) | 1 (1.8%) | 9 (0.9%) | 8 (0.8%) |
Faintness, dizziness | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (0.4%) | 6 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (0.3%) | 6 (0.6%) |
Congestion, phlegm and sore throat | 4 (2.6%) | 2 (1.3%) b | 58 (7.7%) | 3 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 62 (6.4%) | 5 (0.5%) |
Incidental radiology finding | 3 (2.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (0.5%) | 3 (0.4%) | 1 (1.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 8 (0.8%) | 3 (0.3%) |
Feverish, unwell | 7 (4.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 46 (6.1%) | 2 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 53 (5.5%) | 2 (0.2%) |
Other symptoms | 3 (2.0%) | 7 (4.6%) | 13 (1.7%) | 42 (5.6%) | 3 (5.3%) | 4 (7.0%) | 19 (2.0%) | 53 (5.5%) |
Other illness (non-respiratory) | 2 (1.3%) a | 2 (1.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 34 (4.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.2%) | 36 (3.7%) |
