Get lung cancer aware for November

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers among both men and women in Northern Ireland, with round 900 new cases diagnosed each year.

Gerry Bleakney, Strategic Lead for Tobacco Control with the Public Health Agency (PHA), said: “Smoking cigarettes is the single biggest risk factor for lung cancer and is responsible for around 90 per cent of all cases. If you smoke just one cigarette a day, you are three times more likely to get lung cancer than a non-smoker.

“Using other types of tobacco products such as cigars, pipe tobacco and chewing tobacco can also increase your risk of developing lung cancer.”

The PHA is encouraging all smokers who are thinking about quitting to use Lung Cancer Awareness Month [1 – 30 November] as the perfect opportunity to make a quit attempt and reduce their chances of developing lung cancer.

However long you have been smoking, it is always worth quitting. Every year that you do not smoke, your risk of getting serious illnesses such as lung cancer will start to decrease. After 10 years of not smoking, your chances of developing lung cancer fall to half that of a smoker.

Gerry explained: “Smokers should be aware of the symptoms of lung cancer and if they are experiencing any of these symptoms, they need to see your GP urgently. Early diagnosis of lung cancer and being aware of the signs are crucial to saving lives.

Symptoms may include:

•          a persistent cough
•          a sudden change in a cough that you have had for a long time
•          unexplained weight loss
•          breathlessness
•          chest pain – this is usually intermittent (stop-start) and is often made worse when breathing or coughing
•          coughing up blood-stained phlegm.

“Quitting is the single most important thing you can do for your health and if you stop for 28 days or more, you are five time times more likely to stop for good. However, it is not easy and different approaches will work for different people. While some people might be able to do it with very little support, others find that planning ahead and making use of the Stop Smoking Support Services that are available can really help them make the decision permanent. “If you quit and then relapse, accept it, work out why it happened, and focus on how you can avoid it in the future. It takes several efforts for many people to quit for good, but if you are determined, you will do it. Last year thousands of people decided to stop using the PHA’s Stop Smoking Services and many others did so, on their own. ‘Be prepared’ is the motto for success,” Gerry concluded.

For more information and useful tips to stop smoking visit the PHA’s ‘Want 2 Stop’ website at www.want2stop.info and order a ‘Quit Kit’ free of charge. Alternatively contact the Smokers’ Helpline on 0808 812 8008.

There are also over 600 free stop smoking specialist services across Northern Ireland in pharmacies, GP surgeries, hospitals, communities and workplaces that can help with your quit attempt.