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Lung Cancer - The Big Picture Lung cancer can be explained as uncontrolled cell growth in the lungs. It is the second most common cancer in the UK and over 45,525 people are diagnosed each year. Lung cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and there are few symptoms of lung cancer in the early stages of the disease. Most cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking while radon gas, pollution, and other things play a smaller role. Lung cancer claims more lives each year than do colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined. Worryingly this number is growing year on year suggesting there is an urgent need for more awareness campaigns around lung cancer. To mark Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Professor Sam Janes – Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at University College London Hospitals and Clinical Advisor for LungHealth UK and Check4Cancer – talks about the importance of screening, and how new test methods can save more lives. Most people are aware that smoking causes cancer, but may now believe that with reductions in smoking this issue is solved. What is the scale of problem? There are 35,895 lung cancer deaths in the UK each year, and it’s the biggest cancer killer of men and women. So, even though smoking may be less widespread now, we are dealing with a 20-30 year legacy. It is now starting to fall among men, but it’s been rising in women, and is probably just coming to a peak. How smoking is the cause? Cigarettes are packed with cancer-causing chemicals. They also disarm the lungs' natural defence system. The airways are lined with tiny hairs called cilia. To protect the lungs, they sweep out toxins, bacteria, and viruses. Tobacco smoke stops the cilia from doing their job. This lets the cancer-causing chemicals build up. What is EarlyLung CDT test? EarlyLung CDT cancer detection tests are based on the presence in the blood of autoantibodies against specific tumour associated antigens that have the potential to detect cancer up to four years earlier than other methods and can be applied to very wide range of solid tumour types. How does the EarlyLung CDT test work? It’s detecting antibodies that we make in response to foreign substances. What cancer often does is cause changes in proteins, and those are detected by the body, which creates antibodies to those changes. And that’s what we’re looking for in the blood test. But also, when cancer cells die they can release DNA which floats around in your blood, and many laboratories are now trying to investigate this to see if they can detect changes that potentially mean cancer is present. What methods does LungHealth UK use to pick up cancer early? LungHealth UK (part of Check4Cancer Ltd.) will let patients know about any new test that could potentially inform someone they have lung cancer at the earliest positive time. Currently we use the EarlyLung CDT test, and if that’s positive we decide whether you should proceed to checks via a CT scan. The ease, low cost and portability of the test make it a very useful tool – you just have a blood test, which can be administered by a nurse, and it gets sent off for examination. But while we’re using the EarlyLung CDT test now, the idea is that if another test came along that potentially looked more useful, then that’s the one that would be recommended. What are the LungHealth UK OneStop Clinics? The LungCheck service does occasionally lead to the need for further tests, should your results indicate a high risk. If this is necessary, LungHealth UK has a growing national network of LungHealth UK OneStop clinics throughout the UK with local leading thoracic and oncology consultants. OneStop Lung clinics are generally for symptomatic men and women, and aim to make the process of diagnosis through to treatment as fast as possible. Once you’ve been established as having a higher risk of getting lung cancer the consultant you’re referred to can advise you on the action that needs to be taken. Why are these kinds of screening important? It just comes back to the fact that at the moment, doctors generally don’t see lung cancer patients until it’s too late. Currently, there isn’t national CT screening – and in fact, in the UK there is not any kind of national lung cancer screening at all. So, what Check4Cancer are trying to offer is a blood test that can fill that gap – and from the earliest data this test is looking promising. Can lung cancer be prevented? The best way to prevent it is to avoid smoking and to avoid breathing in other people's fumes. If you smoke, work on quitting, even if you’ve tried before. After 10 years, an ex-smoker lowers their risk of lung cancer anywhere from 30% to 50%. You’ll also get many other health benefits for your heart and the rest of your body. It can be tough to kick the habit. Just keep trying!