The key to detecting lung cancer early is to work fast and work together. We recognise people can face delays to their diagnosis, but it is everyone’s aim to get people diagnosed as quickly as possible.
To help with that, we’ve put together this blog to help you get the most out of your appointment and how to best work with your doctor to understand what is causing your symptoms and ease any worries or anxieties you may have.
Lung cancer is a very complex disease. There are many different symptoms of lung cancer, many of which can be quite vague and easily be put down to other causes.
But this is why it’s so important to spot the signs, take immediate action and keep being persistent (whether you have a persistent cough or not!).
Anyone experiencing symptoms – be it one, or several – needs to go to their doctor as soon as they can, and continue to go if your symptoms persist, get worse or you develop more symptoms.
Getting an appointment
We know it can sometimes be difficult to get an appointment, but you must not give up.
- Make sure the person you are talking to realises what the problems are and that they are persistent and ongoing.
- Explain what your concerns are. It can be hard to say the words “I think I might have cancer” but if that’s what you think is happening, it’s really important that you tell something that’s what your fear is.
- If you still cannot get an appointment, ask about the practice complaints policy and escalate the situation.
- You can also speak to your pharmacist, call NHS 111 or go to a local walk-in centre. There are also some drop-in x-rays services in selected areas for people who are experiencing symptoms.
At your appointment
We all recognise the pressure GP practices are under so when you do see or speak to a doctor, it really important to be clear and concise. Give full and accurate details of all your symptoms – even if you don’t think they are relevant or linked. The doctor will be best placed to help if they know everything that’s going on.
We recommend writing down all your symptoms, including:
- When they started
- How often you are experiencing them, and
- The impact they are having on your everyday life.
You can download a copy of our symptom tracker to help with this. Take this to your appointment to make sure you don’t miss out any details and make the best use of your appointment slot.
It is important to work with your GP to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Your GP wants this too and ease any anxieties you may be feeling.
You are allowed an opinion on what you think could be causing your symptoms and, if you do, share this with your doctor and don’t be afraid to ask for further investigation.
Follow up appointments
If symptoms persist or you develop new ones, go back to your doctor. With the ongoing pressures with primary care, there may be a chance you will see a different doctor, or the clinician you previously saw might have forgotten the information you gave last time and only made brief notes.
Each time you go in for an appointment start from the beginning and highlight all your symptoms. You should also highlight any other appointments you have had, what was discussed or prescribed and if your symptoms have changed or got worse.
Be really clear about what you think is wrong with you and share any concerns you have. Ask questions such as:
- I don’t think this was an infection. Could this be something more serious?
- Is this something that needs more investigation?
- Do I need a chest x-ray?
We often hear from patients who have been prescribed several courses of antibiotics for a suspected chest infection or pneumonia.
If you have had a course of antibiotics, they have not worked and your doctor is prescribing you another course, don’t be afraid to challenge this and ask what else could be done. You can ask for further investigations such as blood tests or a chest x-ray.
Guidelines for chest x-ray
It may also help to be aware of the current guidelines that GPs follow for suspected lung cancer. These are called the National Institution for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines:
Anyone aged 40 or over who has smoked and has one or more of the following symptoms, or anyone aged over 40 who has never smoked and has two or more of the following symptoms, should be offered an urgent chest x-ray (done within two weeks):
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite.
In addition to this, anyone aged 40 or over with any of the following symptoms should be considered for an urgent chest x-ray (done within two weeks):
- Persistent or recurrent chest infections
- Finger clubbing
- Chest pain consistent with lung cancer
- Supraclavicular lymphadenopathy or persistent cervical lymphadenopathy
- Thrombocytosis.
As sadly shown in the Let Go of the Labels campaign, people under 40 can also get lung cancer. If you are under 40 and have any of these symptoms, or any other potential symptoms of lung cancer such as shoulder pain or back pain, don’t be afraid to push for a chest x-ray too.
Chances are, everything will be ok but if it is lung cancer, catching it early can make all the difference.
If you have any questions about lung cancer or seeing your GP, our Ask the Nurse team is on hand to help. Call 0800 358 7200 or email lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org