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Seattle, WA
A 25-year-old male asked:

Clear cxr, 25yrs old, 9packhistory,quit2mnthsago,coughed up small amount of blood,doc says lungs sound clear, clear throat alot,lung cancer??

2 doctor answers7 doctors weighed in
Dr. John Munshower
Family Medicine 32 years experience
Blood: At 25yo it would be unlikely to have lung cancer, but none-the-less, truly coughing up blood is something that needs to be evaluated further. A simple Chest-Xray would be recommended to assure all is well. Congrats on the Smoking cessation! Keep it up-Do not go back to smoking and get checked out. Best wishes.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Donald Alves
Emergency Medicine 26 years experience
House cleaning: Your body is, that is, but your usual environment might need it too. After stopping smoking, can easily take 6-12 months for the lungs to expel all the 'ick' (medical word) built up in them (tar/soot/etc.), so can see this for a while. Vaporizer can help if gets bad / irritated. If your living area still smells like an ashtray, helps to wash down / clean / ventilate for lungs and will power.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Donald Alves
Emergency Medicine 26 years experience
Provided original answer
Small flecks/streaks of blood can be from local irritation (usually due to coughing), and can improve with time near a vaporizer. If continues for many days or becomes more prominent, then should follow up with your Dr.
Nov 24, 2014
Last updated May 16, 2018

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