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Lung cancer at a glance

Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the UK after breast cancer. Smoking and passive smoking cause nine out of ten lung cancers.

Men are more likely to be affected, although the number of women with lung cancer has been increasing. There are over 38,300 new cases of lung cancer in the UK each year.

The cancer develops from cells within the lungs (the organs responsible for breathing), the bronchi (air passages leading to the wind pipe) or the trachea (wind pipe).

There are two types of lung cancer – non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). They are different because they originate in different types of cells in the lungs. Around 80% of lung cancer is NSCLC.

Click on the links below to find out more about lung cancer.

• Risks and causes
• Signs and symptoms
• Prevention
• Detection
• Treatment

Find out about what Cancer Research UK is doing about lung cancer in the 'Our current research' section of this website.

If you are a patient looking for information on Lung cancer, please visit our patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

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Risks and causes

The most important risk factors for lung cancer are listed below:

Exposure to tobacco smoke is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer. The longer you smoke the greater your risk. Stopping smoking, even in middle age, dramatically reduces your risk of lung cancer and other diseases.

There is no safe level of tobacco smoking. The sooner you quit, the more you lower your risk. Several hundred people die each year from lung cancer caused by passive smoking.

The risk of lung cancer increases with age. Three-quarters of lung cancer deaths occur in people over 65.

High indoor levels of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, are responsible for a small but significant percentage of lung cancers.

Exposure to industrial carcinogens in the workplace (such as asbestos, nickel and chromium) also increases the risk of lung cancer, particularly when combined with smoking.

A diet that is rich in fruit may slightly reduce the risk of the disease, but this protective effect is small compared to the harm caused by smoking.

Lung cancer rates are strongly linked to socioeconomic deprivation. Rates in the most deprived groups are two to three times higher than the least deprived. This reflects, in large measure, the smoking habits of these groups.

You can find out more about what 'cancer risk' means in the 'Understanding 'risk'' section of this website.

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Signs and symptons

Lung cancer does not generally cause symptoms in the early stages. When symptoms do occur, they are usually a result of the cancer growing and causing pressure or pain. They include:

• a nagging, persistent cough or a change in a cough you have had for some time
• shortness of breath
• recurrent chest infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis
• coughing up phlegm (sputum) with blood in it
• an ache or chest pain when breathing or coughing
• unexplained loss of weight or appetite

People who notice any of these symptoms should see their doctor. The symptoms may have other causes, such as chronic smoking-related lung disease. However, they should always be investigated.

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Prevention

Smoking is the biggest avoidable risk factor for lung cancer, as it causes nine in ten cases of the disease.

Please see our Reduce The Risk pages to find out how being a non-smoker or quitting smoking can reduce the risk of lung cancer.

And there is more information about the link between tobacco and cancer in the 'Healthy living' section of this website.

Detection

The doctor will carry out an examination and ask questions about any previous medical problems. After referral, a specialist may carry out further tests, such as:

• Chest X-rays
• Bronchoscopy
• Mediastinoscopy
• Lung biopsy
• CT, MRI, or other scans.

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Treatment

Possible treatment for lung cancer may include:

If at all possible, non-small cell lung cancer will be treated by surgery to remove all or part of the cancer. However, surgery is rarely a suitable treatment option for small cell lung cancer.

Cancer specialists use radiotherapy to treat all types of lung cancer. It can be given on its own or with another treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery.

Chemotherapy is standard treatment for most patients with small cell lung cancer, as this type of cancer usually reponds well to this treatment. Many drugs are active against small cell lung cancer, and these can be used in various combinations. Chemotherapy is also increasingly being offered for non-small cell lung cancer.

If the cancer is advanced, doctors will offer treatment to control and manage some of the effects and symptoms, such as pain, breathing problems and weight loss.

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