Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer. 

There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition eventually develop symptoms including:

• a persistent cough
• coughing up blood
• persistent breathlessness
• unexplained tiredness and weight loss
• an ache or pain when breathing or coughing

You should speak to your GP if you have these symptoms.

Read more about the symptoms of lung cancer

Types of lung cancer

Cancer that begins in the lungs is called primary lung cancer. Cancer that spreads from the lungs to another place in the body is known as secondary lung cancer. This page is about primary lung cancer.

There are 2 main types of primary lung cancer. These are classified by the type of cells in which the cancer starts. They are:

• non-small-cell lung cancer – the most common type, accounting for more than 80% of cases; can be either squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma
• small-cell lung cancer – a less common type that usually spreads faster than non-small-cell lung cancer

The type of lung cancer you have determines which treatments are recommended.

Read more about diagnosing lung cancer

Who’s affected

Lung cancer mainly affects older people. It’s rare in people younger than 40, and the rates of lung cancer rise sharply with age. Lung cancer is most commonly diagnosed in people aged 70 to 74.

Although people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer, smoking is the main cause (accounting for over 85% of cases). This is because smoking involves regularly inhaling a number of different toxic substances.

Read more about:

• causes of lung cancer
• preventing lung cancer

Treating lung cancer

Treatment depends on the type of cancer, how far it’s spread and how good your general health is.

If the condition is diagnosed early and the cancerous cells are confined to a small area, surgery to remove the affected area of lung is usually recommended.

If surgery is unsuitable due to your general health, radiotherapy to destroy the cancerous cells may be recommended instead.

If the cancer has spread too far for surgery or radiotherapy to be effective, chemotherapy is usually used.