Healthcare professionals from across the lung cancer pathway want people with potential lung cancer symptoms, such as a persistent cough, to be able to request their own chest x-ray, without first having to see a GP.
Outlining recommendations in the British Journal of General Practice, the group, facilitated by leading lung cancer charity Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, also wants data on how many chest x-rays GP practices are requesting each year to be made available, as well as calling for people to check symptoms and even book tests via the NHS app in order to improve earlier diagnosis of the disease.
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK, accounting for over fifth of all cancer deaths. Approximately three quarters of those diagnosed have late-stage disease when curative treatment is no longer possible.
It is a difficult disease to diagnose because symptoms, such as a persistent cough, are very common. As a result, it currently takes an average of three months for a person with symptoms to be diagnosed with lung cancer, while a third of people with the disease have three or more consultations before they are referred for tests. It is also very hard for many people to get an appointment with their GP.
Nick Whitehead, 58, from Newton Aycliffe, repeatedly went to his GP with a persistent cough for around 18 months but was never sent for an x-ray.
He was eventually diagnosed with lung cancer two years later via A&E after coughing up blood and given a 50% chance of surviving for five years.
Nick said: “There were many opportunities for me to be diagnosed earlier.
I think I wasn’t sent for tests because I was so fit. As a scuba diver, my lung capacity is good, so I wasn’t short of breath, but given that we’re constantly told that a persistent cough is a symptom of lung cancer, it’s odd that I wasn’t sent for an x-ray at the very least.
Nick Whitehead, diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer
“Had I had the opportunity to request an x-ray, I would have taken myself off for one. My wife would have made sure of it!”
Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “Far too often we hear stories of people like Nick whose lung cancer could have been diagnosed sooner. It is imperative we do everything we can to change this.
“We are making progress, largely through screening with 76% of those caught at stages 1 and 2.
“However, with more than half of lung cancers arising in people who aren’t eligible for screening and only around half of those who are eligible choosing to participate, improving early detection amongst those with symptoms is key to transforming long-term survival.”
Stephen Bradley is the lead author of the paper and a practicing GP in Leeds. He said: “A lung cancer diagnosis can be devastating but spotting it early can make all the difference.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but there is so much more we need to do to diagnose it quickly as possible.
We need to make it easier for people with symptoms to get tests like chest x-ray and ways to raise awareness of the disease, including people who haven’t smoked.
Stephen Bradley, practicing GP in Leeds
“We hope health services across the UK will seriously consider these recommendations and help us give people who have lung cancer the best chance possible.”
