Commuters on the London Underground were given a surprise wake-up call when an impromptu chorus broke out on the Jubilee line with a ‘coughing’ beat box to mark Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
The throat-hacking performance, which received a lot of attention across social media, was carried out by Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim and the Beatbox Collective, to help raise awareness of a persistent cough as one of the main symptoms of lung cancer.
In the UK lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer, partly due to late diagnosis. In fact, over two-thirds of patients are diagnosed at a late stage when curative treatment is not possible . The performance, which was captured on video, encouraged viewers to visit their GP if they have a cough that won’t go away.
Lorraine Dallas, Director of Information and Support at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation comments:
“We want to make people aware that sometimes a cough is more than ‘just a cough’. If you or a loved one has a persistent cough, you should have it checked out by your GP.”
The majority of lung cancer cases are diagnosed after it has spread, and the five-year survival rate for those with advanced forms of the disease is as low as 6%.
Lorraine added:
“If detected early the five-year survival rate is much higher, at around 35%.
Working with the Beatbox Collective has allowed us to do something a bit different and, as a result, we hope that the performance will bring this message to new audiences and help improve UK survival rates.”
Duncan Cantor, Director of Communications at Boehringer Ingelheim UK and Ireland said:
‘The signs and symptoms of lung cancer can be easily missed. Sometimes a cough isn’t just a cough. ‘This is why Boehringer Ingelheim has worked with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation to create this innovative way to reach more people and help draw attention to the signs and symptoms of this dreadful disease and drive awareness of the importance of early diagnosis.”
The Beatbox Collective is made up of a cast of the UK’s top beatbox talent, including 3x UK Champion and Multi International Champ Ball-Zee, 2008 UK Champion MC Zani, 2x Team Champion Hobbit, World Female Champion Bellatrix, The BFG (aka Tobias Hug) previously of the multi Grammy award-winning Swingle Singers, UK Champs Finalist Experimental and renowned host and pioneer Bass6.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month runs throughout November.