Lung Cancer Awareness Day 2024
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 46,400 people being diagnosed with it each year. Lung cancer begins in the cells of the lungs, however without diagnoses and treatment it can spread to the tissue around the lungs or nearby lymph nodes, and this can be fatal.
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
Unfortunately there are not always symptoms of lung cancer during the early stages, and it can often be found by chance when someone is having a test for another condition. Symptoms can be either of the following;
- A cough for over three weeks.
- Repeated chest infections, or a chest infection that does not get any better.
- Feeling breathlessness or wheezy.
- A change in a cough that you have had for a long time.
- Coughing up blood.
- Chest or shoulder pain that does not get better.
- Loss of appetite.
- Losing weight for no obvious reason.
- Feeling unusually tired.
Main causes of lung cancer
The main risk factors of lung cancer are the following;
- Smoking (This is the main cause)
- Passive smoking
- Age
- Asbestos
- Air pollution
- Previous cancer treatment
- Chemicals and other substances at work
- Family risk
Medical treatment and lung cancer medical negligence claims
It is extremely important to be diagnosed with lung cancer as soon as possible, due to the different stages of the cancer and what that could mean for treatment. Unfortunately in some cases, medical professionals do not diagnose soon enough such as, misdiagnosing with another condition, not referring for the relevant tests or doing nothing at all, and this can lead to devastating consequences.
