UK’s Deadliest Cancer Symptoms can be Mistaken for Cold

The NHS has warned of potential symptoms of the UK’s deadliest cancer that could be mistaken for a common cold or other seasonal ailments.

Cancer Research UK data reveal that lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer in Britain.

Lung cancer is responsible for 21% of all cancer deaths.

Annually, about 49,200 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK, and it claims approximately 34,800 lives.

Lung cancer has an insidious nature, primarily due to the difficulty of detecting it in the early stages.

The NHS stated: “There are usually no signs or symptoms of lung cancer in the early stages. Symptoms develop as the condition progresses.”

The lack of symptoms for many makes timely diagnosis difficult.

Moreover, once symptoms emerge, they may be confused with, for example, a cold or flu.

Consequently, symptoms may be dismissed as related to less serious health issues.

This includes three warning symptoms that also occur when a person has a cold or flu:

• A cough
• Fatigue
• A hoarse voice

Fatigue and a hoarse voice are less common symptoms of lung cancer.

One distinguishing factor between a cough caused by cancer and one due to a less severe condition is its duration.

A cough caused by a winter illness usually resolves within a few weeks.

The NHS cautions that a cough “that does not go away after three weeks” could be indicative of cancer.

Additionally, “a long-standing cough that gets worse” and “coughing up blood” are also signs of lung cancer.

The NHS stress the primary symptoms of lung cancer include:

• A cough that does not go away after three weeks
• A long-standing cough that gets worse
• Chest infections that keep coming back
• Coughing up blood
• An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
• Persistent breathlessness
• Persistent tiredness or lack of energy
• Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss

Less common symptoms include:

• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or pain when swallowing
• Wheezing
• A hoarse voice
• Swelling of your face or neck
• Persistent chest or shoulder pain
• Changes in the appearance of your fingers, like them becoming more curved or their ends becoming larger (known as finger clubbing)

The United Kingdom Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC) wrote:

“More women die from lung cancer than breast cancer.”

“Despite being labelled a ‘smoker’s disease’, 6,000 people who have never smoked die each year from lung cancer, making it the eighth most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK.”

A study by Oxford University found that British Bangladeshi men in England have the highest rates of lung cancer.

The NHS website advised: “See a GP if you have any of the main symptoms of lung cancer or any of the less common symptoms.”