Question
A 56-year-old female relative was recently diagnosed with lung cancer due to her emaciation and regrets her bad habit of smoking. She is unable to walk due to leg pain. Does this indicate that the lung cancer has reached an advanced stage?
Answer
An analysis of the specific situation shows that leg pain in lung cancer patients does not necessarily indicate that the cancer has reached an advanced stage. The gold standard for diagnosing cancer is pathological examination, but sometimes further checks are needed due to issues with sample selection or misdiagnosis. Treatment options for lung cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, among others, and these should be considered comprehensively based on the patient’s pathology, tumor stage, and physical condition. If a late-stage lung cancer patient experiences leg pain, it may be necessary to rule out the possibility of bone metastasis.