Listen to your lungs and reduce your risk of cancer this new year

 

Each year in Ireland, over 2,749 people are diagnosed with lung cancer. More than half of these cases are men. Smoking can be linked back to 90% of lung cancer diagnosis but we can help to reduce this number. Currently more men than women smoke and men are more likely to start smoking at a younger age making them more open to the risks of lung cancer as they age. This new year make it your business to quit smoking listen to your lungs and reduce your risk of cancer this new year.

 

Some of the changes you need to be on the lookout for when it comes to lung cancer are –

 

• A cough that won’t go away after three weeks or changes over time.
• Being short of breath
• Coughing up phlegm which may have blood in it
• Unexplained weight loss

 

If you have any concerns, or any of the above symptoms sound familiar, visit your GP immediately.

 

Survival rates for lung cancer are one of the lowest in Ireland, with just a 20% survival rate five years after diagnosis, in part because it is difficult to go to your doctor if you are a smoker and present much later. Some people do not recognise the signs and symptoms at an earlier stage or may ignore them.

 

 

You do not have to smoke to be diagnosed with lung cancer. However, smoking has been estimated to be responsible for more than 30% of other cancer diagnoses in Ireland.

So, this new year, listen to your lungs and make it one of your resolutions to quit smoking to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.

 

 

For more information on how to reduce your risk of lung cancer visit the Marie Keating Foundation website and  Quit.ie 

 

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