Do you need prescription medication? Ask Your Dr for confidential and convenient access to certain medications. Enter your postcode to find your nearest pharmacy that can help.Lung Cancer Awareness Month highlights the need to get an early diagnosis and stop smoking
The theme of this year's Lung Cancer Awareness Month was 'Early Detection Saves Lives' because the sooner it's detected the higher the chance of a successful recovery.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths, with 35,000 people in the UK dying from it every year.
The problem of getting an early diagnosis is that people are either unaware of its symptoms or don't realise they could indicate lung cancer.
In a recent YouGov survey two thirds said they'd likely confuse its key symptoms with a common cough, cold or bout of flu. Just under half were aware that breathlessness was a warning sign, only 15% knew it caused chest or lung pain and just 10% were aware that lung cancer can cause weight loss.
What this highlights is that if you, or anyone you know, is displaying these symptoms they should visit their GP:
- Persistent cough
- Short of breath
- Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
- Aches or pains when breathing or coughing
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Fatigue
Smoking causes 85-90% of cases of lung cancer. If you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day it makes you 20 times more likely to develop it. But even if you've been smoking most of your life, you can reduce the chances of getting lung cancer the moment you stop smoking.
Many pharmacies now provide a stop smoking service to help you give up cigarettes. This comprises of nicotine replacement therapy and ongoing support to help you get past the cravings and give up smoking for good.
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