‘Help Us, Help You’

Today, NHS England is re-launching the ‘Help Us, Help You’ lung cancer campaign to encourage people with a cough lasting three weeks or more to contact their GP practice.

Many people don’t realise that a cough for three weeks or more could be a sign of lung cancer, and so it is vital that patients act on a persistent cough and don’t wait to see if it resolves on its own.

While a cough for three weeks or more is probably nothing serious, it can be a sign of something that needs treatment. If it is cancer, finding it early means it is more treatable and

can save lives.

  

KEY FACTS AND STATISTICS

• Lung cancer GP referrals have been the slowest of all cancer types to recover since the start of the pandemic

• Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in England with around 39,990 cases diagnosed each year. Around 89% of those are aged 60 and over

• Lung cancer is England’s biggest cause of cancer death. In 2021, around 26,400 people died from lung cancer in England

• In 2019, lung cancer accounted for 12% of all cancer diagnoses in England and 20% of all cancer deaths

• Five-year survival for persons diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer is 61% compared with just 4% for those diagnosed with late stage (stage 4) lung cancer

• Between 1995 and 2019, age-standardised incidence rates of lung cancer have increased from 50.8 per 100,000 to 67.1 per 100,000 for females. In males age standardised incidence rates of lung cancer have decreased from 126.6 per 100,000 to 84.9 per 100,000

• Between 2001 and 2019, age-standardised mortality rates of lung cancer have remained relatively stable between 44.7 per 100,000 and 43.4 per 100,000 for females. In males age-standardised mortality rates of lung cancer have decreased from 95.7 per 100,000 to 61.5 per 100,000

Your NHS is here and wants to see you; Help Us, Help You.

Visit nhs.uk/cancersymptoms for more information.