Lung: 5 Year Survival Rates

There are 40,000+ lung cancer deaths in the UK every year.
That's more than 100 deaths every day. 

72% of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.

Stage 1

  • Stage 1A: The tumour is 3 cm or smaller and has not spread to any lymph nodes.

  • Stage 1B: The tumour is larger than 3 cm but still has not spread to any lymph nodes.

Stage 2

  • Stage 2A: The tumour is 4 cm or smaller and has spread to nearby lymph nodes on the same side of the chest.

  • Stage 2B: The tumour is larger than 4 cm but has not spread to any lymph nodes.

  • Stage 2C: The tumour is any size and has spread to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest.

Stage 3

  • Stage 3A: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest and may have grown into the main bronchus, the lining of the lung, or the heart lining.

  • Stage 3B: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest or to lymph nodes above the collarbone, and may have grown into the chest wall, diaphragm, or other structures in the chest.

  • Stage 3C: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes on both sides of the chest or to lymph nodes above the collarbone.

Stage 4 (Metastatic)

  • Stage 4: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain, liver, bones, or adrenal glands.

Anything you inhale will kill...

Although people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer, smoking is the most common cause (accounting for more than 70 out of 100 cases). This is because smoking involves regularly inhaling a number of different toxic substances.

Lung cancer mainly affects older people. It's rare in people younger than 40. More than 4 out of 10 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK are aged 75 and older. 

You just have to stop smoking... 

Cigarettes, pipes, cigars and shisha contain:

  • nicotine
  • tar
  • carbon monoxide
  • heavy metals such as arsenic and lead

These chemicals can make the walls of your arteries sticky, so fatty material can stick to them. If the arteries that carry blood to your heart get damaged and clogged, it can lead to a heart attack. If this happens in the arteries that carry blood to your brain it can lead to a stroke. Basically it's Goodnight Vienna! [1]

Look again at the stage 4 survival rate (above). Given how difficult it is to detect lung cancer, the odds of surviving lung cancer are not good. 

Get support from NHS Stop Smoking Services near you or call the Smoke Free National Helpline on 0300 123 1044 (England only). Support is also available in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

[1] British slang for, nothing more can be done or events have reached a state of completion.

Key takeaways... 

What makes lung cancer problematic and hard to detect is that there are rarely any early signs of the disease.  See your GP sooner, not later if you are:

  • Coughing up blood.
  • Coughing all the time.
  • Being breathless all the time (for no reason).
  • In pain when breathing or coughing.