Five little-known warning signs of lung cancer revealed after death of Massive Attack star Angelo Bruschini

Massive Attack star Angelo Bruschini has died following a battle with a rare type of lung cancer, the band confirmed today.

The Bristol-born guitarist revealed in July that he was diagnosed with pleomorphic carcinoma and that he had had ‘a great life’.

The band, which Angelo joined in 1995, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he was a ‘singularly brilliant & eccentric talent’. 

Lung cancer, which kills approximately 35,000 people in the UK and 120,000 in the US each year, is the second most common type worldwide. Around one per cent of cases are down to pleomorphic carcinoma, a poorly-understood disease.

Yet, despite being so common, many people are not aware of all the symptoms of lung cancer. Here, MailOnline reveals the warning signs to look out for.

Getting out of breath

There are often no symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer.

But many will become breathless and develop a persistent cough that won’t go away, the NHS says. 

Feeling out of puff while doing the things that usually wouldn’t be a problem is a sign to visit the GP, it recommends.

This symptom may also be coupled with coughing up blood and a pain in the shoulder or chest when coughing.  

Lung cancer is rare in people under the age of 40 and more than four in ten people diagnosed in the UK are 75 and older, according to the NHS. 

It adds that smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer.  

Changes to nail shape 

Nails that appear wider or swollen could be a signal of lung cancer.

This symptom is called clubbing.  

The nails can appear to ‘float’ instead of being attached to the nailbed and form a sharper angle with the cuticle.

Clubbing can also cause the end of the finger to appear large and red and the nail to curve downwards, so it looks like the round part of an upside-down spoon. 

The symptoms are caused by hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA) — a condition that causes inflammation in the bones and joints and affects some people with cancer.

However, not everyone who has lung cancer will develop this symptom and it is more common among those with non-small cell lung cancer, says Cancer Research. 

Seizures or passing out

Dizziness and fainting can be signs of lung cancer. 

Although rare, some lung cancer patients develop a condition alongside their cancer called paraneoplastic syndrome.

It is triggered by tumours releasing hormones into the bloodstream that cause the body’s organs and systems to behave abnormally.

This can lead to symptoms that don’t seem related to lung cancer. 

These include headaches, vomiting, confusion, feeling tired, muscle weakness, seizures, passing out, dizziness and  constipation. 

Paraneoplastic syndrome is rare but more common among those with small cell lung cancer.

Drooping of one eyelid

A rare type of lung cancer that grows at the top of the organ can cause one eyelid to droop, experts say. 

Pancoast tumours, which account for less than five per cent of lung cancer cases, can also cause one pupil to shrink. 

It may also stop sweating on one side of the face, according to Cancer Research.  

Shoulder pain or pain that travels up and down the arm, neck and head are more common symptoms of this form of cancer, according to the charity. 

Losing weight   

About 60 per cent of people with lung cancer have significant weight loss at the time of their diagnosis, Cancer Research says. 

This can be because lung cancer causes a loss of appetite. 

However, some people lose weight even when they are eating normally. 

This is called cachexia, where your body doesn’t absorb all the fat, protein and carbohydrate from your food and burns calories faster than normal. 

Scientists say cancer releases chemicals into the blood that contribute to the fat and muscle loss.