Bronchioalveolar Carcinoma Symptoms

Bronchioalveolar carcinoma, more commonly known as BAC, is a form of lung cancer that affects the outermost region of the lungs. It is considered a non-small cell cancer and part of the larger grouping of lung cancers known as adenocarcinoma. The growth of this type of cancer is relatively slow, often making symptoms appear subtle at first and worsening at the progression of the disease. If a person is diagnosed with this form of cancer, he will often experience some of the same symptoms as other forms of lung cancer.

Cough

• One of the more common symptoms of bronchioalveolar carcinoma is a cough. Depending on the person, this cough may be new or a sudden worsening of an existent one (such as with a smoker). Regardless of its formation, the cough becomes an ongoing or recurrent problem.

Respiratory Disruption

• Often accompanying a cough is a symptom involving respiration. At the onset of the disease, a person may begin to experience an increased shortness of breath as he exerts himself in some fashion, such as walking, running or any other form of exercise. As the disease become more and more advanced, this sensation may begin to persist into periods of slight exertion or even rest.

Pain

• For some people, bronchioalveolar carcinoma means pain. This pain can start off as a dull, aching discomfort in the chest and later progresses into a sharper, shooting pain. While this symptom mostly affects your chest, especially near the area of affected cells, the pain can diffuse out into other regions of the body, such as the back and neck.

Other Respiratory Issues

• Though a cough, shortness of breath and pain are probably the most common symptoms of bronchioalveolar carcinoma, a person may also begin to develop other signs of the condition that affect respiratory health. Some people may notice the presences of a "wheeze" upon each inhaling breath. Others may begin to suffer from the symptom of hoarseness periodically as they talk. It is also possible for the cough to produce blood from the lungs, also known as haemoptysis. With bronchioalveolar carcinoma, it just depends on the person how the symptoms manifest.

"Non-Specific" Symptoms

• Bronchioalveolar carcinoma can also cause "non-specific" symptoms of the disease, which are those symptoms that are not necessarily exclusive to this form of cancer. These symptoms may present themselves at any stage of the condition, but they generally involve an increased level of fatigue or exhaustion, weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss and even a fever.

Treatment

• The most effective method is to treat the cancer itself. This is usually done with two specific procedures, including a lobectomy and a pneumonectomy. With a lobectomy, the portion of the lung affected by the abnormal cells is removed from the body. With a pneumonectomy, the entire lung suffering from the disease is extracted. Since this form of cancer is usually isolated to the lung, these procedures should remedy the symptoms as well as treat the cancer.