Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK. More men than women develop lung cancer but the number of women is rising while the number of men is falling.
There are two main types of lung cancer. They are:
- small cell lung cancer (usually caused by smoking)
- non-small cell lung cancer.
There are three types of non-small call lung cancer:
- squamous cell carcinoma
- adenocarcinoma
- large cell carcinoma.
Causes of lung cancer
In the majority of people, lung cancer is caused by smoking tobacco. Recent research has shown that exposure to a smoky atmosphere (passive smoking) may be dangerous to non-smokers.
Lung cancer can also be caused by chemicals, such as asbestos which produces a special kind of cancer called mesothelioma. If you think your cancer could be related to your job, past or present, discuss this with your doctor.
Sometimes lung cancer develops in people who have never smoked and the cause is unknown.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:
- a persistent cough or a change in a smoker's usual cough
- a bright red or rust coloured blood in sputum (phlegm)
- hoarseness of the voice
- shortness of breath
- a dull ache in the chest or a sharp pain when breathing in deeply.
Sometimes people feel generally unwell, for example tired with general aches or pains. There may be loss of appetite and loss of weight. Symptoms may be due to the cancer in your lungs, spread of cancer to lymph glands in the chest or secondary tumours in the bones, liver or brain.
You may have experienced some or all of these symptoms and this led you to consult your family doctor in the first place.