A NEW lung cancer awareness campaign has been launched in East Lancashire to reduce the number of people who die from the disease.

People, particularly those from the South Asian community, are being urged to be more aware of the early signs and symptoms of lung cancer.

NHS East Lancashire said the new £500,000 campaign would be called ‘Lung Cancer – Get if Off Your Chest’.

Lung cancer claims the lives of around 258 lives per year in East Lancashire, making it one of the area’s biggest killers.

People in East Lancashire are 20 per cent more likely to die of lung cancer than the national average.

The campaign asks people to visit their GP if they have experienced the following symptoms for three weeks or more; persistent cough, a change in a cough or unexplained shortness of breath.

Dr Nirmala Nagpal said: “Spotting early signs and symptoms of what could be lung cancer and getting these checked out by a doctor can mean that the disease is diagnosed more quickly.

“Chances are it isn’t cancer, but it’s important to get checked out, just to make sure. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage then treatment is more likely to be effective with a better chance of long-term survival.”

Dr Nagpal said smoking tobacco, including cigarettes or sheesha, was the single biggest risk factor for lung cancer.

“If you are a smoker and notice anything unusual about your body, or have one of the warning signs or symptoms, such as a change in a cough, it’s really important to talk to your doctor about it,” added Dr Nagpal.

“Earlier diagnosis is key to boosting cancer survival. Making people more aware of what to look out for, and encouraging them to visit their GP with anything unusual, is vital.”