“According to more than one in 10 people, an irritating cough that lasts more than 9 weeks, persistent lung infections or blood coughed up when coughing are not early symptoms of lung cancer,” notes All.Can Belgium. “Respectively 18 and 15% of those surveyed do not consider sudden weight loss for no apparent reason or persistent fatigue to be warning signs of lung cancer.” All of these symptoms may, however, be signs to be taken seriously.
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“These are completely valid reasons to consult a general practitioner. A chest X-ray, preferably a chest CT scan, is also essential,” insists Doctor Ingel Demedts, pulmonologist at AZ Delta Roeselare.
Because it is precisely because these symptoms are not well enough known or remain limited in the early stages of the disease that lung cancer is only diagnosed in two thirds of cases at an advanced stage (III or IV), reports to All.Can Belgium. But as with many diseases, “early detection is nevertheless essential to maximize the chances of survival”.
Every day, 26 Belgians learn that they have lung cancer. “For patients identified at stage I, the survival rate is 82% five years after diagnosis,” supports the association.
The campaign also wants to remind people of the risk factors for the disease, and particularly those they can control. “Not smoking or quitting smoking is by far the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk,” emphasizes Dr. Demedts.
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