See Through the Symptoms:
An Urgent Message for Healthcare Professionals
If considered as a separate disease, lung cancer in never smokers is the 8th most common cancer in the UK. Early detection is crucial; if you see persistence of unexplained symptoms in your patients, please consider X-ray referral under the Faster Diagnosis Standard.¹
Fewer than 1 in 5 people diagnosed with lung cancer survive for five years or more², but outcomes are substantially better when lung cancer is diagnosed early. Almost 65% of people diagnosed at stage I survive for at least five years, compared with around 5% diagnosed at stage IV³. Early investigation and referral are therefore essential to improving outcomes.
Questions for professionals
When certain symptoms are persistent, it could be a sign of lung cancer.
Chances are it’s nothing serious but early diagnosis can improve chances of survival.
General Practitioners
Do you ever consider lung cancer as a possible diagnosis and refer people for a chest x-ray when presented with persistent or unexplained symptoms, even if they have no smoking history and/or is young?
Physiotherapists
Do you ever encourage clients with unexplained or persistent back and/or shoulder pain to visit their GP for lung cancer screening?
Pharmacists
Do you ever encourage clients who present with persistent symptoms and regularly purchase over the counter remedies to speak to their GP about it?
Supporting Earlier Lung Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care
Lung cancer doesn’t always present with textbook symptoms. People without smoking history - including those who are young, active or otherwise well - can still develop lung cancer, and are often diagnosed late.
If you see persistent or unexplained symptoms, even in lower-risk patients, please consider referring them for a chest X-ray under the Faster Diagnosis Standard.
Explore common symptoms below - and why they matter.
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Especially if lasting more than three weeks. A common first symptom, often dismissed unless it's worsening or changing in character.
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Repeat courses of antibiotics or infections that fail to fully resolve should raise suspicion, particularly in one lung or lobe.
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Can be referred pain due to tumour growth or pleural involvement. Especially important when not explained by injury or musculoskeletal strain.
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Can indicate superior vena cava obstruction - an oncological emergency. Rapid referral is essential.
Key signs of lung cancer that may warrant a chest X-ray
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May suggest involvement of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Persistent hoarseness, particularly with other symptoms, requires further assessment.
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A non-specific but early symptom. Persistent fatigue with no clear cause should prompt a broader differential.
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Not always caused by asthma, long COVID, or anxiety. If it’s new, persistent, or unexplained - especially in someone who doesn’t fit the typical lung cancer profile - consider a chest X-ray.
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May reflect metabolic changes or late-stage disease. Even minor weight changes, if unexplained, should not be ignored.
Recognise the Signs: See Through the Symptoms
Alongside Our Lungs: Time to Breathe, EGFR Positive Lung Cancer UK have also worked with ALK Positive Lung Cancer UK and the Ruth Strauss Foundation to jointly develop See Through the Symptoms, an award-winning campaign encouraging GPs and other primary healthcare professionals to recognise and act on lung cancer symptoms, regardless of a person’s smoking history.
Visit the See Through the Symptoms website to download further HCP information, assets and resources.