Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer of men in the UK. Cancers of all types cause more than 1 in 4 of male deaths in the UK, but lung cancer kills around 16,000 men every year.

Who's at risk

With many types of cancer, the cause is unknown or obscure. But this is not the case with lung cancer. With most people lung cancer is linked to smoking. Although some people who have never smoked get the disease, smoking causes 90% of lung cancer cases.

Other risk factors include having a family history of the disease, exposure to radon gas, air pollution, second-hand smoke and certain chemicals e.g. asbestos.

Symptoms to look for

Many people with lung cancer don't have any symptoms until the later stages of disease. However symptoms of lung cancer can include:

• Having a persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing up blood or phlegm
• Chest pain
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue

All of these symptoms can be a sign of other medical conditions, but they should be checked out by your GP, especially if you smoke.

Prevention

The more you smoke the higher your risk of lung cancer (and other cancers too). One of the best things you can do for your health is to stop smoking. It will also help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

This article was published on Fri 12 February 2010