Lung Cancer Awareness Month!

Lung Cancer Awareness


Every November, we spread awareness for lung cancer – one of the most common cancers in the UK. 

More than 43,000 people are diagnosed with the condition every year in the UK. 

Lung cancer is most common in White and Bangladeshi men but people outside these races can also be diagnosed with lung cancer, especially smokers!


Whatever time of the year,  Cancer Education UK is here to help spread support and knowledge about lung cancer.

What is lung cancer?

Lung cancer is when abnormal cells divide in an uncontrolled way to form a tumour in the lung. It is the third most common cancer in the UK and is more common as you get older.

What are the symptoms? 

There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition eventually develop symptoms including:

  • a persistent cough
  • coughing up blood
  • persistent breathlessness
  • unexplained tiredness and weight loss
  • an ache or pain when breathing or coughing

What are the risks and causes?

 Smoking tobacco, air pollution, exposure to radon gas, genetics and certain chemicals used in the workplace such as asbestos and silica, can increase the risk of developing lung cancer.

How do I get diagnosed and treated?

Talk to your GP if you’re worried about lung cancer.
There are four different grades of lung cancer which give your doctor a idea of how quickly or slowly the cancer might grow.
Treatment depends on what type of lung cancer you have and your general health. It may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

What we’ve been up to…

Black History Month

On the 29th October, we attended Black History Expo and Cultural Market Event at the NEC Birmingham Centre. We were excited as this is one of the biggest Black History and Cultural Event of 2022! It was great to come along, meet people and spread cancer awareness. We will be posting more videos and highlights of the event soon on our social media so keep an eye out!

The campaign had the purpose of providing emotionally supportive packs, which includes a selection of healthy snacks, drinks, skincare, wellbeing and colouring therapy books to 1000 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy in London hospitals.

The video is now up on our Youtube for you to watch!

Our ambition is to support all in the fight against cancer, whilst we make an increased effort to represent and empower special communities, especially for people of colour as this can potentially be a further barrier to isolation with systemic discrimination hindering patients from getting the medical attention or support they need.

It has been a lonely experience during the pandemic over the past year as most patients have been unable to have friends or family in attendance to support their treatment in hospital. These packs are a gesture to support patient wellbeing and aid their road to recovery.

Conclusion

Hope you’re all well and enjoyed our posts celebrating black people in cancer last month for Black History Month. You can watch our interview with Olufikayo, who researches cancer inequalities in black people here.

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