Home » Get involved » Campaigns

Lung cancer awareness

Despite claiming the lives of more than 37,000 people in the UK every year - more than leukaemia, breast and prostate cancer combined - lung cancer receives just four percent of the national cancer research budget and falls far behind other major cancers in the provision of care, information and treatment for patients.

About the issue - Lung cancer in the UK
Where we are now: Full smoking bans across the UK
Get involved - Lung Cancer Patients' Charter
Lung Cancer Awareness Month

About the issue - Lung cancer in the UK

The facts

Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer in both men and women.
Over 37,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year – that’s over 100 people a day.
92 people die from lung cancer every day.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer after breast cancer.
The number of women diagnosed with lung cancer is increasing and more women will now die from lung cancer than breast cancer.
While smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer, 10% of people who develop lung cancer have never smoked.

What we want

For 80% of people with lung cancer their disease is inoperable because it has been diagnosed so late. For the past four years Macmillan has joined forces with The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation during November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness of lung cancer and the importance of early diagnosis.

Macmillan also work as part of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC), a coalition of leading lung cancer experts, healthcare companies and charities with an interest in the disease who have joined together to fight lung cancer. The UKLCC is committed to doubling one year lung cancer patient survival by 2010 and five year survival by 2015. The UKLCC’s key objectives are to:

Raise political awareness of lung cancer
Raise the general public’s awareness of lung cancer, including recognising the symptoms and going to the GP to get checked out
Empower patients to take an active part in their care
Improve lung cancer services in the UK
Increase research funding for lung cancer

Find out about the UKLCC.

Where we are now: Full smoking bans across the UK

In February 2006 MPs voted for a full smoking ban in all workplaces and enclosed public places in England, including pubs and clubs. Originally these venues were excluded from Government proposals but Macmillan campaigned for a full ban which came into place from 1 July 2007.

Macmillan also campaigned for a full smoking ban in Scotland which has been in operation since March 2006. A ban came into effect in Wales on 2 April 2007 and on April 30 2007 in Northern Ireland, three years after the Republic of Ireland's total ban.

Get involved - Lung Cancer Patients’ Charter

In February 2006 Macmillan and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation launched The Lung Cancer Patients’ Charter, calling on government to acknowledge the poor state of people affected by the UK’s biggest cancer killer and sets out minimum standards of care lung cancer patients should expect to receive. To sign up to the charter visit: www.roycastle.org/campaign/Patients_Charter.pdf

Have you got a story to tell about living with lung cancer? We would like to hear from you. Please email us at campaigns@macmillan.org.uk

Lung Cancer Awareness Month - November 2007

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) and every year Macmillan and The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation join forces to help raise awareness of the disease. Lung cancer is the UK's biggest cancer killer, yet if detected early enough it can be curable.

We have produced materials highlighting the signs and symptoms of lung cancer and emphasising that early diagnosis saves lives. Download the materials here:

Lung Cancer Awareness - Leaflet [PDF, 200 kb]

Lung Cancer Awareness Month - A2 poster [PDF, 521 kb]

Lung Cancer Awareness Month - A4 poster [PDF, 490 kb]