Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is strongly associated with smoking, but it can also develop in people who have never smoked.

A diagnosis of lung cancer brings a lot of unfamiliar terms very quickly. Non-small cell lung cancer. NSCLC. Staging. Biomarkers. Molecular testing.

Chemotherapy is a type of systemic cancer treatment designed to damage or destroy cancer cells, but it cannot always avoid affecting some normal tissues as well. This is most noticeable in healthy cells that naturally divide and renew quickly. As a result, patients may experience side effects such as tiredness, hair loss, mouth soreness, nausea, and a higher risk of infection.

Being told that lung cancer has spread is a lot to take in.

Let me start with something that comes up a lot.

Most people, when they hear the words "lung cancer," immediately picture a smoker. I understand why. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. The association is not wrong. But it is incomplete, and in the case of adenocarcinoma, it causes real problems for some people.

When lung cancer spreads beyond the original tumour in the lung, it is called metastatic lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer doesn’t get talked about as much as the other kind.

You've been diagnosed with lung cancer, or you're being investigated for it, and someone has asked you to do a breathing test.

Most people think of thyroid problems and lung cancer as entirely separate concerns. Two different organs, two different specialties, two separate conversations with two different doctors.

Most lung cancers are found late. Not because doctors miss them, and not because patients are careless.

Stage 4 lung cancer means the cancer has spread beyond the lung where it first developed. One of the places lung cancer can spread is the brain, which can understandably feel frightening for patients and families.

If you've landed here, you're probably looking for a straight answer.