A 30-year-old with a hoarse voice, back pain and aching bones visited a walk-in clinic to see a doctor for his symptoms. He found out it was lung cancer.

A radiology technologist, Mary McPolin, looks at a CT scan of a lung with a tumor at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2005.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

• An otherwise healthy man with back pain and a hoarse voice was later found to have lung cancer.

• The symptoms were caused by tumors on his spine that disrupted his vocal cords.

• Lung cancer can be tricky to catch, so see a doctor if you have persistent chest pain or cough.

A fit, otherwise healthy 30-year-old was found to have stage 4 lung cancer after experiencing back pain and a hoarse voice, Today reported.

Jordan Turko, an entrepreneur living in Edmonton, Alberta, told Today that his symptoms started early this year and that he initially suspected COVID-19 after the holidays, leading to a spate of coronavirus cases.

When symptoms persisted and the back pain progressed to a deep ache in his lower back, pelvis and legs, Turko visited a walk-in clinic in February, he said.

After a battery of tests, including a biopsy, chest X-ray and CT scan, doctors finally found a 4-inch tumor that they believe likely started in January and was growing rapidly, Turko told Today.

The tumor had wrapped around his pulmonary artery and other tumors had grown along his spine and had spread to his lymph nodes, liver, pelvis and leg bones.

Turko said he was previously in excellent health, exercising six days a week and being a fan of hot yoga, so the diagnosis came as a shock.

“Who could have guessed that?” he said. “Even now, in hindsight, who would be like, ‘Oh, your back hurts. You have lung cancer.'”

As Today noted, lung cancer is rare in younger people, with most cases occurring in those over 65, and one study estimates that only about 1.4% of cases occur in people under the age of 35.

“Cancer does not discriminate, including against young people,” Turko told Today. “Be vigilant with your health.”

Lung cancer can have a variety of symptoms or no symptoms to advanced stages

Symptoms of lung cancer may not appear until the disease has progressed, unlike other cancers that are easier to recognize (and treat) according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

In some cases, cancer symptoms, such as fatigue, cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite, may be subtle or mistaken for other illnesses.

If symptoms such as coughing up blood don’t lessen or become more severe, it’s important to see a doctor, says the American Cancer Society.

American Cancer Society further recommends that people at higher risk, such as smokers, or who have persistent symptoms should consider getting screened early.

The persistent hoarse voice that Turko experienced may be a common symptom of lung cancer, caused by the tumor hitting the nerves of the vocal cord. If left untreated, the tumor in his spine may also have caused more widespread paralysis, doctors worried, leading them to recommend emergency radiation treatment.

Cancer symptoms can sometimes be overlooked in young patients, including those in their 20s and 30s, Insider previously reported.

Read the original article on Insider

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