Lung cancer warning - why you should never ignore this symptom on your skin
LUNG cancer symptoms include a persistent cough, unexplained weight loss, or constantly feeling short of breath. But you could also be at risk of a lung tumour if you have this strange skin sign.
Lung cancer: NHS offers advice on spotting cancer early
Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, as well as being one of the most serious.
Almost 45,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK every year.
During its early phases, there are usually no warning signs of lung cancer, which makes it hard to spot.
But as it develops, it could lead to a number of tell-tale signs, including jaundice - where the skin turns a yellow colour.
Lung cancer symptoms: Signs include yellow skin and eyes - jaundice
Lung cancer that’s spread to the liver can lead to a yellowing of the skin, warned the American Cancer Society.
The liver is one of the most common parts of the body that lung cancer spreads to, added medical website Very Well Health.
Some patients may not have any signs that their cancer has spread to their liver.
But if the tumour is large enough to block the bile ducts, it could lead to yellow skin, as well as turning the white part of the eye yellow.
The bile ducts carry bile - a fluid secreted by the liver to help digest fats - from the liver to the small intestine.
Obstructing the bile ducts could also lead to severe itching, it warned.
“Lung cancer spread [metastatic] to the liver is sadly too common,” said Very Well Health.
“Nearly 40 per cent of people with lung cancer have metastases to a distant region of the body at the time of diagnosis.
“If you do have symptoms, these may include pain under your ribs or in your abdomen on the right side of your body, and general symptoms, such as loss of appetite and nausea.
“If you have many tumours in your liver, or if the metastasis is large enough to obstruct your bile ducts, you may develop jaundice, a yellowish discolouration of your skin and the white part of your eyes.”
Lung cancer that’s spread to other organs could also cause bone pain, headaches, or a numbness in the arm.
Speak to a GP if you have any symptoms of lung cancer, the NHS urged.
The condition usually affects older people, and is rare in anyone under 40 years old.
Those most at risk are smokers. Smoking accounts for about 80 per cent of all lung cancer cases.
Seeing as lung cancer symptoms are difficult to spot during its earlier stages, the outlook for patients isn’t as good as other types of cancer.
About one in three people with lung cancer live for at least a year after they’re diagnosed. One in 20 survive for at least 10 years.