Does lung cancer cause tiredness and confusion?

My Mum has recently been given a lung cancer diagnosis (untreatable due to frailty).  She also has CKD stage 4 and been in remission for lymphoma for about 7 years.  She is always tired and can sleep for hours and then naps when she gets up.  However, recently she has begun to be slightly confused and very forgetful.  Is this just her age (88 next month) or could the lung cancer be adding to this?  She does not take any additional medication following the lung cancer diagnosis.

  • Hello and thanks for your enquiry,

    I can appreciate your concern. There can be many explanations for these symptoms. It often is a combination of different factors all together, and not necessarily due to one single cause.

    If a doctor has not seen them recently, then a review may be useful. They can check for heart failure, kidney issues, medication side effects, dehydration, or altered blood chemistry, such as low sodium or potassium. Kidney disease can cause similar symptoms. An infection somewhere can also cause similar symptoms. They may want to take blood tests. Sometimes a cancer can cause imbalances in the blood, such as too much calcium.

    I hope this reply helps,

    Kind regards,

    Vanda