Are symptoms of pleurisy just like those of lung cancer?

Maybe: Pleurisy usually causes chest pain. Lung cancer may be asymptomatic and just noted on cxr/ct imaging. Or lung cancer may be associated with pain, shortness of breath, hemoptysis (coughing up blood), etc. Many disease symptoms overlap.

Can be: Lung cancer irritating or invading the inner lining of the chest wall can feel like pleurisy, but early stage lung cancer may not have any symptoms at all.

Pleurisy is pain: When taking a deep breath or coughing. While i agree with drs thompson & toloza, lung cancers can invade the chest wall and do this, but it is not common. Pleuritic pain is more common with infection (pneumonia & empyema) and large pulmonary embolus (blood clot to lung).