Featured In: The Coalville Times, Friday, 25th November 2022

HEALTH MATTERS WITH DR Hanna Robbins

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

LUNG cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in the UK. The sooner it is spotted, the easier it is to treat. You can make a difference by being aware of the warning signs and speaking to your GP sur- gery if you’re worried.

What should I look for?

• Cough - A cough that lasts for three weeks or more. It doesn’t matter whether the cough is wet, dry, chesty or tickly – it needs to be checked out.
• Breathlessness - This might be due to being out of shape, stress, anxiety, other lung conditions like asthma and COPD, heart problems, or even due to something like low iron levels. But if you are breathless and this is unusual for you, contact your GP Surgery.
• Tiredness - Being more tired than usual for no reason can be a sign there’s something else going on. Chances are it won’t be lung cancer, but it’s worth contacting your GP surgery - even if it’s not cancer, it might be something else that can be treated, like stress, sleep issues, depression, or medication side effects.
• Loss of appetite or weight - Small changes in weight are often normal. But weight loss that is happening for no reason, outside what’s normal for you, is something we should talk about.

Other signs that you should always men- tion to your GP:

• Regular chest infections
• Coughing up blood
• Hoarse voice that is new and not going away
• Wheezing which is new for you
• Anyone who has been a smoker or has worked with dust or coal should get to their GP especially early.