Lung Cancer

What you should know about Dodgy Air Filters...

The Smoking Gun

It’s not difficult to work out what causes lung cancer. If you don’t smoke your chances of getting it are very small. Start early, die early. The amount of tobacco you smoke moves you that bit closer to the great scrap-yard in the sky. Filters and low tar don’t protect you. Wise up and stub it out. So should you go for pipes and cigars? No way, they just give you a feeling of false security.

Smoking causes cancer. Cut down then? That doesn’t work either. You gradually creep back up. Stop completely. All over Ireland men are getting the message. That’s why lung cancer in men is on the decrease. You can be one of them.

Quit plan

• ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HELP ON THE WAY TO QUITTING Try calling the NATIONAL QUITLINE on CALLSAVE 1850 201 203 Smoking cessation counsellors are on hand with a free advice kit and confidential advice and support. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) can be obtained through your GP or bought over the counter in the pharmacy. Used correctly, it can be very successful in easing the cravings for nicotine. There are many types so make sure you discuss with your GP or pharmacist the best one for you. Get in touch with self-help groups or organisations that supply information and support. Ask your GP for advice on other methods that may help you quit. If you can't stop for yourself, do it for your partner or kids.

  List your reasons for quitting.
• Set a day and date to stop. Tell all your friends and relatives, they will support you.
• Get someone to quit with you. You will reinforce each other’s willpower.
• Clear the house and your pockets of any packets, papers or matches.
• Map out your progress on a chart or calendar. Keep the money you save in a separate container.
• If you get a craving, practice the 4 D’s: Drink water; Deep breathe; Distract yourself and Delay grabbing for that smoke for 3 minutes (cravings can take this long to disappear)
• Ask your friends not to smoke around you. People accept this far more readily than they used to do.

Watch out for:

• a persistent cough;
• coughing up blood-stained phlegm;
• shortness of breath;
• chest discomfort;
• repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis;
• loss of appetite;
• loss of weight.

These don’t necessarily mean you have cancer but they do need your doctor’s attention. If you have lung cancer, treatment depends on the type of cancer, how developed it is and your general state of health. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be used alone or together to treat lung cancer. Remember! Early detection of lung cancer can make a difference in your chances of survival. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, see your doctor. Better still, reduce your risks of getting lung cancer by stopping smoking.