Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Published at 18 November, 2020.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Did you know November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month? This month is all about encouraging people to learn more about lung cancer, understand the signs and symptoms as well as what to do next.

If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. You could be old, young, male, female, smoker or a non-smoker and you can get lung cancer. 1 in 7 non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. Being a smoker increases your risk of having lung cancer, as does passive smoking. If you have regular and consistent contact with chemicals in the workplace such as asbestos, radon and diesel exhaust fumes, this may also lead to an increase in lung cancer.

Each year there are around 46,000 lung cancer causes, it is the most common cause of cancer death for both men and women. Due to this, it’s important that everyone knows what the symptoms of lung cancer are.

There are different symptoms of lung cancer, some symptoms are more common and widely recognised than others.

Some of these symptoms include:

  • Persistent cough that lasts three weeks or more
  • Breathlessness
  • Loss of appetite and/or unexplained weight loss
  • Coughing up blood
  • Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy
  • Finger clubbing
  • Hoarseness
  • Blood clots 
How do I reduce my risk?

Reducing your exposure to second-hand smoke, reducing your fat intake and how much alcohol you drink, as well as eating less salt and sugar alongside taking regular exercise will help reduce your risk of lung cancer.

The main way to reduce your risk of having lung cancer as a smoker is by quitting smoking, for this there are many ways we can help:

Quit online - https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/quit-online

Our online quit tool will allow you to create your own personal profile and will support you on a daily basis through your quit journey.

Telephone support - our advisors are on hand to answer any questions or provide additional support as you need it. You can call 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions

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