...is most common in men and women aged 50+.

You're also more at risk if you smoke or used to smoke – so be extra aware.

The symptoms

If you spot one or more of these, see your GP right away:

• A cough that lasts more than three weeks.
• A long-standing cough that changes.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Coughing up blood.
• Repeated chest infections.
• Persistent breathlessness, tiredness or lack of energy.
• Persistent chest or shoulder pain.

Diagnosis

Your GP might listen to your breathing and ask you to take a blood or urine test to rule things out.

If they're still concerned, you might need one of these:

• Chest X-ray: which can spot some tumours.
• CT scan: which gives a more detailed scan, if required. It's completely painless.
• Bronchoscopy: where a thin tube examines your lungs and takes a sample of some cells.

Treatments

Treatment depends on how far along the cancer is. Your GP will explain the options, or you can visit the NHS website for more information. Treatment might include:

• Surgery: to remove the cancer and, typically, a portion of the lung.
• Chemotherapy: powerful, cancer-killing medication.
• Radiotherapy: which uses pulses of radiation to destroy cancerous cells.
• Medication: drugs like erlotinib, which stop cancerous cells reproducing and multiplying.
• Other methods: like radiofrequency ablation, cryotherapy and photodynamic therapy.