World Lung Cancer Day: what everyone should know

Every year on 1 August, World Lung Cancer Day turns our attention to a disease that touches
many families across Europe. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the
European Union. It accounts for one in five cancer deaths and 12% of all new cancer cases. It
is the second most diagnosed cancer in men and the third in women.
Behind every number is a person. A diagnosis should be met with care and support, never
with blame. And there is hope in what we know today: lung cancer is one of the most
preventable cancers there is.

What increases the risk

Tobacco use causes the vast majority of lung cancers. Stopping smoking remains the single
most effective way to prevent the disease.
Smoking is not the only cause. Air pollution, radon and certain occupational exposures also
increase the risk. Second-hand smoke raises the risk even in people who have never smoked
themselves.

Why it is often found late

Lung cancer may cause no symptoms in its early stages. When symptoms do appear, they are
often mistaken for common respiratory problems and the diagnosis comes late. One in three
lung cancers in Europe is first detected in an emergency room.
Finding the disease earlier changes what is possible. Survival after a lung cancer diagnosis is
not the same everywhere in Europe. That difference reflects when the cancer is found,
managed and treated, not the disease itself.

What you can do

The European Union has asked its Member States to explore lung cancer screening for
people at high risk: heavy smokers and former smokers. Pilot programmes are under way in
several countries and the evidence is still being built. Until then, most people will not be
invited to a screening programme.
The message is simple. If you have smoked for years, talk to your doctor about your risk.
Prevention is a priority
At EUnetCCC, prevention is one of our priorities. Our new concept, the Cancer Prevention
Hub, is an innovative way to reach the people most at risk by bringing prevention into the
daily work of cancer centres across Europe. Our Annual Meeting in Lisbon on 26 and 27
November will include dedicated prevention sessions.

The video below was created for World Lung Cancer Day together with the Oncology
Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță” Cluj-Napoca (IOCN, Romania), with the participation of
clinicians from the institute.