Can you have lung cancer without symptoms?

I don't have any support.
I don't think my husband fully understood what the oncologist explained to us.
Is palliative care like manag ing cancer or is it different?

Palliative care is basically unique and supportive specialized medical care that focuses on providing supports, relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. It also can help you cope with side effects from medical treatments.
If you are part of this type of care there should be options for you to speak with a care manager about what the goals are for you and your care. There is also likely a Chaplain connected or a social worker/ therapist to help support your journey. Have you reached out to anyone about your care and the support available?
Prayers for you!

@scared2, this will be a hard time for both of you. He may not be able or ready to process what's happening yet. It may take some time. It can be easier to deal with the things that need to be physically done (scheduling appointments, etc.) than to deal with the emotions. It will come, but it takes time.

Here's some additional info:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/podcasts/newsfeed-post/palliative-care-for-people-with-cancer-designed-to-fit-the-needs-of-each-patient/

Hi so sad for you. I have no symptoms and just diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. As I continue to wait for further testing I feel just fine hope that helps and the only way they found it was through my yearly CT scan

My husband has lung cancer not me.

I had no symptoms and was otherwise very healthy. It was an incidental finding during a routine physical chest X-ray. They can test for mutations that can inform the care plan. These are important tests! I had a mutation and take a targeted therapy drug. Lung cancer isn’t a death sentence but stage 4 isn’t curable yet. I say yet because 10 years ago the drug I take wasn’t even an option. It’s scary and it’s hard. You are both going through this, so give yourself the grace you we’ll be giving him. Breath and remember…there is hope and today is amazing so don’t forget to notice that. I try not to think too far in the future because that’s when anxiety and fear can kick in. Write down questions for the doc as you think of them. Do your own research and be prepared to participate in the care/treatment plan with your medical team.

@scared2 , I have a friend who has been on palliative care for stage 4 lung cancer for several years. She is living her best life taking the side effects of chemo in stride, enjoying weddings and new grandchildren, and she looks great! There are new treatments coming out all the time and working with an oncology team from a large referral center or teaching hospital will keep you aware of the newest therapies. I am living 13 years now with metastatic head and neck cancer, also not curable, but my most recent treatment of a new immunotherapy has me NED with all the last mets disappearing. Still NED and now 2 years off the drug. You never know, just keep kicking the can on down the road and see what shows up.
A great book to help you change your lifestyle and diet to help control cancer.....How Not to be My Patient by Dr. Ed Creagan, a palliative care Mayo doctor. I love this book. Also read Radical Remissions by Kelly Turner. Look into Beta Glucan as an immune stimulant. Just stay positive and never give up hope. The new normal may not be what you wanted or expected, but we do continue living with cancer. Do everything you can to support that so become a researcher and never hesitate to ask for a second opintion.

@scared2, you can have lung cancer without knowing it. The national 5-year survival rate is 27%, mainly because most people don't know they have it until they are Stage 4 (metastasis to other organs). If caught at Stage 2, the 5-year survival rate is over 60%.

That being said, the survival rate has been steadily increasing over the last decade. @dragonspark is correct that the most important thing is to get a biomarker test if your husband has not already. Once your doctors know what type of lung cancer your husband has, they can treat it.

Lung cancer is now recognized as many different diseases. I've had non-small cell adenocarcinoma EGFR mutation lung cancer for seven years in June, stage 4, since September 2020. And I'm still working full-time as a rocket engineer.

Lastly, palliative care no longer means hospice. My metastasis was to the brain, and I still struggle with physical challenges from that. I've been receiving palliative care for pain management with no ill effects on my productivity. I should also mention that I may not be cured, but I have been cancer-free for most of the last seven years.

There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet, so be sure to consult your Oncologist's office with your medical questions. I've spoken to my doctor's nurse so often that we're on a first-name basis, and we frequently discuss her kids as well as medical issues. I wish you and your husband all the best.

Hello. Does anyone have experience of ablation treatment for lung cancer? Following resections for colon cancer in November 2022 and liver cancer in August 2024, and great recoveries from both, I have now been diagnosed with lung cancer - 4 small spots, max 9mm, two of which are thought to be cancerous. Chemotherapy and ablation treatment have been suggested.

@martin77, I'm sorry to hear that you are adding to your lists of cancers. Do your doctors believe that these new spots in the lung are a separate cancer, or spread from the colon or liver? Are they planning to try to biopsy?

@californiazebra and @mrnootz, I believe you have both mentioned lung ablation in the past. Was your recovery manageable?