Simple ‘Diamond Gap’ Finger Test May Help Detect Lung Cancer

A simple trick of a finger could determine if you have lung cancer claims doctors. Doctors in the UK are in fact urging people to take the 'diamond gap' finger test, a test where when two nails are put together a diamond-shaped space between your cuticles. Finding no space when two fingers are clubbed together could be a common symptom of lung cancer.

The finding was based on the Cancer Research UK where finger clubbing happens in more than 35 per cent of people with lung cancer and 4% of those with small cell lung cancer.

Finger clubbing tends to happen in stages with the base of the nail becoming soft and the skin next to the nail bed becoming shiny before the nails begin to curve more than normal. The ends of the fingers may also get larger as a result of this too, the study said.

However, this is not to say that every finger clubbing could mean lung cancer or every diamond shape hole means you are safe. It is always wise to consult your doctor when common signs of lung cancer such as cough doesn’t go away after two or three weeks.

Other common signs of lung cancer include shortness of breath, chest infections; coughing up blood; pain when breathing or coughing; breathlessness; fatigue, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.