Thickening of the fingertips (a symptom of drumsticks) can be a sign of lung cancer. Such a non-obvious symptom of a fatal disease was named to the Express newspaper by the representative of the British Society for the Study of Cancer Amy Hirst (Hirst).
According to the oncologist, such a deformation is not the most common symptom of the disease. However, he can also talk about other negative changes in the body. “Drumstick syndrome manifests as changes in the shape of the nails or fingers that start to look swollen,” the doctor said.
She advised to see a specialist if the base of the nail becomes soft, and the skin next to it becomes shiny, the nails bend more than usual, and the fingertips become larger.
As the specialist explained, this is due to the fact that more blood flows into this area than usual. “But we don't fully understand why this is happening,” she explained.
Hirst added that there are many other symptoms of lung cancer, such as persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, and swelling of the face or neck.
Earlier, Michael Wallace, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, named an early symptom of a particularly dangerous pancreatic cancer, which usually develops imperceptibly and begins to metastasize even before the diagnosis of the disease. Diabetes mellitus is an alarming sign, which is found in people with normal or low weight, as well as in people who are at high risk of cancer, such as the elderly or those who use tobacco.
