Is excruciating shoulder pain common for small cell lung cancer?

I have stage 3c lung cancer that has spread to lymph nodes in neck. The pain in shoulder is what first alerted me that something was wrong and then I got the diagnosis. The explanation that I got for the shoulder pain is that the swollen lymph nodes lay on nerves causing the pain. I get shooting pain from shoulder to jaw to ear. I was prescribed an opioid but honestly ibuprofen works the best because it reduces the inflammation. Putting ice on and off also helps. Be sure to let your dr know about your pain.
Wishing you the best !

My husband had Stage 3 NSCLC. After Chemo/Radiation he developed shoulder pain on both shoulders. He was diagnosed by an Orthopedic doctor with Frozen Shoulders. He has been given 2-3 cortisone shots on each side and has been in therapy for several months. His range of motion has increased a lot, but he still needs work on arms behind the back movements in therapy. The pain has been greatly decreased and now he is concentrating on the behind the back movements like taking off a coat and putting a belt through the back loops. The doctor said Frozen Shoulder is more common in women, and takes a long time to go away but once it does it usually doesn’t come back. The cause they are speculating was either from radiation or Prednisone induced Type 2 Diabetes. Good luck in finding some relief.

This happened to me in my right shoulder. It’s awful. I was told the tumors are on nerves as well. We are waiting on some results and hopefully will start radiation again to shrink the tumor and stop the pain. My thoughts are with you and hoping you get relief soon

@bonsai799, have you told your cancer team about this pain? They may be able to offer suggestions that can help like pain medication or possibly radiation? How are you managing the pain?

I’m dealing with this as well. I’ve had shoulder, upper back & upper arm pain for most of 2023. Been to orthopedics, PT, neurologists. I developed tremors. Diagnosed with malignant lung tumors in Oct ‘23 and completed SBRT radiation in 12/23. The oncology team believes the tumors have effected nerves in my chest and hope the pain will subside as the radiation does its job on the tumors. I’m still in a painful way for now

Hello @dave56pa. Welcome to Mayo Connect. Pain is so difficult to work through. You've been dealing with this for too long and have seen more than your share of specialists. Good for you for sticking with it and tracking down the lung cancer.
You've only had radiation, no chemo or surgery, correct? I'm sure your doctors have told you that the radiation can take some time to be effective, possibly weeks or even months. Have they given you any options for pain management in the meantime?

Lung surgery wasn’t an option due to my low cardiac output (EF20-25%) & poor PFT results. I’m aware radiation therapy will take weeks/months to show results. My frustration is that the ortho feels I have ‘frozen shoulder syndrome’ and prescribes Tylenol & PT. The neurologist feels I have essential tremors and recommended botox & deep brain surgery. And the oncology team at UPMC Hillman Cancer Institute feels the pain, stiffness and tremors are caused by the lung cancer. I have a follow up appt next week and trust we’ll have a better plan to deal with the physical issues rather than just renewing Rx pain meds

@dave56pa, It sounds like you certainly have more than your share of conflicting info. I hope you get some clarity and direction at your appointment this week.

I am new here just at the beginning stages of of all of this but I have had many of the symptoms I have been reading about online. I am going crazy and everyone around me is acting like nothing is going on has this happen to anyone and how did you deal with it

Hi @tiheema, welcome to Mayo Connect. Sometimes the people around us aren’t able to accept that there may be something wrong. They diminish what we’re going through in order to get through it themselves. It’s very isolating and a lonely place. Have you had any scans yet or appointments scheduled to confirm what you are thinking?