Lung Cancer Symptoms in Women and When to See a Doctor
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Lung Cancer Symptoms in Women

Lung Cancer Symptoms in Women
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Published on June 26, 2025
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Lung cancer symptoms may appear differently in women than in men. Lung cancer tends to be diagnosed at a later stage in females, when the disease has already advanced. This means women may be more likely to have signs and symptoms of metastatic lung cancer when they receive a diagnosis.

 Women also tend to develop it at a younger age, be nonsmokers, and develop a form of cancer that grows more slowly and is discovered later.

Overall, the symptoms of lung cancer don’t differ much between genders. For anyone who has lung cancer, there may be no symptoms unless it has spread to other parts of the body. In some cases, even late-stage lung cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms.

The Most Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer in Women

Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of women in the United States, taking more lives than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined.

 Being familiar with the signs and symptoms can help save your life.

“The most common symptoms in women are similar to those seen across the broader population,” says Maria A. Velez, MD, clinical instructor with the division of hematology-oncology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

Common symptoms may include:

  • A cough that won’t go away or gets progressively worse
  • Shortness of breath and hoarseness
  • Chest pain
  • Coughing up blood
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Fatigue

Symptoms of Metastatic Lung Cancer in Women

“Because lung cancer in women is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage, symptoms related to metastatic spread are unfortunately more common,” says. Dr. Velez.

Metastatic lung cancer symptoms will vary depending on where the cancer has spread.

  • Bone metastasis can cause fractures and bone pain, including back or hip pain.
  • Brain metastasis can cause headaches, changes in vision, weakness, confusion, seizures, vertigo, and stroke-like symptoms

  • Liver metastasis can cause yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), or abdominal pain

Less Common Symptoms of Lung Cancer in Women

“Tumors that present in the apex [meaning the top part] of the lung can often cause shoulder pain or pain radiating down the arm, but these are much more rare,” says Dennis Lowenthal, MD, medical director of Atlantic Health System’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center in New Jersey.

Other less common signs and symptoms of lung cancer in women, Dr. Lowenthal says, include loss of appetite, swollen glands in the neck, and swelling of the head and neck, which can result from a tumor affecting the blood flow to these areas.

Types of Lung Cancer

There are two main types of lung cancer — small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — and each type is further divided into subtypes.

Overall, symptoms of lung cancer don’t differ much based on type, but there may be occasional differences in when or how symptoms appear for the first time.

SCLC

SCLC is almost always linked to tobacco smoking.

Based on what this cancer looks like under the microscope, SCLC is further divided into small-cell carcinoma (tumors made of small cancer cells) and combined small-cell carcinoma (tumors made of small cancer cells and non-small lung cancer cells).

Grouping these forms of cancer in this way helps scientists better distinguish the differences between them and help inform treatment strategies.

NSCLC

NSCLC makes up as many as 90 percent of all lung cancer cases. This type of cancer typically grows more slowly than SCLC and causes few or no symptoms until it has spread, so it tends to be diagnosed after it has already advanced.

 There are three main subtypes of NSCLC:

  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma
  • Squamous cell lung cancer
Adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of lung cancer in the United States, accounting for 45 percent of all cases. It’s also the cancer type that’s more prevalent in women than men.

 It develops more predominantly in nonsmokers, although smokers develop adenocarcinoma, too.

“The symptoms of adenocarcinoma and other types of lung cancer often overlap,” says Velez. She says adenocarcinoma tends to start in the outer parts of the lung, which may delay the onset of tell-tale coughing symptoms. “So, women may present later with symptoms related to metastatic spread rather than primary lung symptoms like cough and shortness of breath.”

Large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma makes up about 10 to 15 percent of all NSCLC lung cancer cases. It can start in any part of the lung and spreads faster than other NSCLC subtypes. It is strongly associated with cigarette smoking.

Squamous cell lung cancer tends to start in the center of the lung, next to the main airways, and is also associated with smoking. It tends to be more common in males than females.

How Lung Cancer Differs in Women

The symptoms of lung cancer don’t vary much between women and men, but there can be a difference in when it’s detected and treated. Women are also more likely to develop certain types of lung cancer.

“When you compare men to women, percentage-wise, there’s a higher percentage of adenocarcinoma in women,” says Lowenthal. “Even in the smoking population, adenocarcinomas are more common in women compared to men.”

Women are 2.5 times more likely to develop this cancer subtype than men, and they tend to be never-smokers.

 There are also racial differences within the female community. Asian American women in particular are at higher risk. Studies show that they are almost twice as likely as women of other ethnicities to develop lung adenocarcinoma.

Fortunately, women tend to develop tumours with genetic mutations that make them a better fit for groundbreaking cancer treatments like targeted therapy.

“We call these actionable mutations,” says Lowenthal. “These are mutations that are driving the tumors’ growth, and for which we've developed a lot of targeted therapies that have been game-changers for many women. It's almost like taking an antibiotic for your cancer.”

These are not curative therapies, he adds, “but for many women, they can be highly effective for a prolonged period of time.”

These targeted therapies and actionable mutations may contribute, at least in part, to the difference in outlook between men and women. Women with lung cancer tend to, overall, have a better survival rate compared with men.

Early Screening and Detection

Current lung cancer screening guidelines do not incorporate sex-specific differences, and it’s only recommended for adults who are at high risk for developing the disease because of their age or smoking history.

 According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, here’s who should get screened annually for lung cancer:

  • Current smokers or those who quit within the last 15 years
  • People who’ve smoked at least a pack a day for 20 years or more
  • Those between ages 50 and 80
However, many women who’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer are younger and have never smoked. Some oncologists are hopeful that future lung-screening guidelines may eventually incorporate sex-specific recommendations that address the differences in how lung cancer presents in women.

When to See a Doctor

See your physician if you’re concerned about your lung health or have any common lung cancer symptom, such as breathlessness, a cough that just won’t go away, or if you’re coughing up blood.

“Typically patients with any unexplained symptom that persists, whether it's cancer or not, should be seen by their primary care doctor,” says Lowenthal.

The Takeaway

  • Lung cancer symptoms don’t vary much between men and women. But women are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at a more advanced stage, which means symptoms may have already developed.
  • Women who are diagnosed with lung cancer tend to be younger and nonsmokers, and they develop a more aggressive form of the disease.
  • Symptoms of lung cancer include a persistent cough that gets progressively worse, shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood, unintentional weight loss, and fatigue. Symptoms of metastatic lung cancer will differ according to the part of the body where the cancer has spread.
  • Current lung cancer screening guidelines do not account for sex-based differences in lung cancer. If you have any symptoms or are concerned about your lung health, talk to your primary care provider.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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Tingting Tan, MD, PhD

Medical Reviewer

Tingting Tan, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist at City of Hope National Medical Center.

Dr. Tan's research has been published in multiple medical and scientific journals, including Oncologists, Cancer Cell, and Genes and Development.

A graduate of the Beijing Medical University, Tan holds an M.D. from Peking University Health Science Center and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Her training includes fellowships at the University of California San Francisco Cancer Research Institute and the Fox Chase Cancer Center at Temple University.

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