The chances of you beating deadly illnesses like lung cancer are exceptionally higher when you’ve been diagnosed during the very early stages. However, not many people have the ability or the awareness to get regular health checkups that could catch underlying health problems before they get serious.
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Medical experts are suggesting a possible way that you could catch one of the early signs of lung cancer, and it’s a test that you can do at home without any medical supervision.
The Schamroth window test, or the diamond test, can indicate whether or not you have one of the early signs of lung cancer—finger clubbing.
What is finger clubbing?
One of the early symptoms of lung cancer is finger clubbing, which is when the tips of your fingers become swollen and the nails begin to curve around the fingertips. With finger clubbing, your skin around your nails become shiny and the base of your nails also get softer.
The reason behind the swelling is unknown but according to Cancer Research UK, around 35% of lung cancer patients have reported this symptom.
How to spot finger clubbing?
In some cases finger clubbing may not be as obvious, and it happens over a period of years so the Schamroth window test could help you determine whether or not you have this symptom.
Start by facing the palms of your hands towards each other. Bend both your index fingers and touch the tips against each other. If you see a small diamond-shaped gap in the middle of your index finger nails, it means you do not have finger clubbing. However, if there is no gap, it may be a sign of cancer.
Naturally, this test is not a sure-fire sign that you have cancer and it needs to be supported by further examinations so make sure to get yourself checked out before jumping to any conclusions. If you do notice finger clubbing, watch out for other signs of lung cancer as well. Some symptoms include:
- Recurring cough and chest infections
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite and sudden weight loss
- Coughing up blood
