Signs and symptoms of breathlessness

Many of the symptoms of breathlessness can be caused by cancer, treatment for cancer, or other medical conditions.

Symptoms of breathlessness can include:

• difficulty catching your breath
• noisy breathing
• very fast, shallow breaths
• an increase in your pulse rate
• wheezing
• chest pain
• skin that looks pale and slightly blue, especially around your mouth
• cold, clammy skin
• using your shoulders and the muscles in your upper chest to help you breathe
• anxiety or panicky feelings

At first you might become breathless when you are walking or climbing the stairs. In time you might be breathless even when resting and sitting down.

Talk to your doctor if you are worried about your symptoms, or if they are getting worse.

Possible causes of breathlessness

Breathlessness can be caused by cancer or its treatment. Other illnesses can also cause breathlessness.

Cancer treatments that can cause breathlessness include:

• surgery to the lungs, for example, removing all or part of a lung to treat lung cancer
• radiotherapy to the chest
• some anti cancer drug treatments, for example, chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs 

Other illnesses that can cause breathlessness include:

• chest infections
• low haemoglobin levels (anaemia)
• heart problems
• a blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
• lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• a build up of fluid in the lung (pleural effusion)
• asthma
• anxiety and panic attacks
• being overweight

Anxiety

Breathing problems can be uncomfortable. You might feel very panicky. But it is important to understand which comes first.

Sometimes, people having anxiety attacks will ‘over breathe’ and become breathless. But in this case, it is their anxiety making them breathless and not the other way round.

If you do have shortness of breath and you get panicky, try some breathing and relaxation techniques. They can help you feel more in control of your breathing.