Press release

05/01/16

05 January 2016

Don’t miss early signs of lung cancer

The audit shows that more patients than ever before in the UK are receiving radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery. However, many people do not consult their doctor until it is too late for the treatment to be effective.

Professor John Britton, chair of the RCP’s tobacco advisory group, said:

Anyone with a persistent cough should go to their GP – if cancer is caught early, treatment can be effective. The high rates of lung cancer in the UK are a legacy of our previous high smoking rates, and even people who gave up smoking a long time ago can still be at risk, so it is important that they consult their GP as soon as they spot any likely symptoms.

Other symptoms include:

  • coughing more often and more severely than usual
  • coughing up blood
  • shortness of breath
  • feeling weak or more tired than usual
  • losing weight without knowing why
  • pain in the ribcage and/or shoulder
  • chest infections that won’t go away, even with antibiotics
  • hoarseness
  • swelling of the face and neck.

For further information, please contact Linda Cuthbertson, head of PR, on +44 (0)203 075 1254 / 0774 877 7919, or email Linda.Cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk

  • The National Lung Cancer Audit is managed by The NHS Information Centre in partnership with the RCP and commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. For more information about the Audit please contact the NHS Information Centre press office on 0845 2576990 or at mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk. Visit the NHS Information Centre website
  • The RCP also hosts the Improving Lung Cancer Outcomes for Patients (ILCOP) project, which joins up healthcare teams including doctors and nurses from different NHS trusts to share best practice in diagnosing, treating and supporting patients with lung cancer, and to look for the underlying differences in rates of lung cancer survival at different trusts. Visit the ILCOP pages of the RCP website