Lung cancer and respiratory symptoms campaigns
For information about lung cancer recognition and referral in primary care, check out our page.
Why were the campaigns run?
Be Clear on Cancer campaigns were used to raise awareness of lung cancer and respiratory symptoms to support the earlier diagnosis of cancer.
England campaigns
A lung cancer campaign was piloted regionally in late 2011 and went national for the first time in May 2012. Since then, there were several ‘reminder’ campaigns.
Wales campaign
If lung cancer in Wales matched the best in Europe during 2012, an estimated 340 more people might have survived more than a year, and over 190 more people might have survived at least five years [1].
NHS Wales ran a lung cancer awareness campaign in Wales, focusing on a persistent three-week cough as a symptom of lung cancer. It was the first time Be Clear on Cancer activity ran in Wales.
The campaign ran for a month in 2016, encouraging people with relevant symptoms to present to their GP, with the aim of diagnosing more cases of lung cancer at an earlier stage. By running activity in both England and Wales at the same time, it was hoped that the English campaign would have further impact in Wales
Respiratory symptoms campaign
BCOC ran two respiratory symptoms campaigns, one nationally from July - October 2016 and a second in England from May – August 2017, to raise awareness of a persistent cough and inappropriate breathlessness. It encouraged people to present to their GP with the aim of diagnosing more cases of cancer, lung disease and heart disease earlier.
The respiratory symptoms campaign was run based on evidence from lung cancer campaign evaluations and an inappropriate breathlessness pilot. See the NHS England announcement of the BCOC respiratory symptoms campaign which covers the rationale and potential impact.
Who did the campaigns target?
The campaigns were aimed at people from lower socioeconomic groups over the age of 50. People over 50 are most at risk of having an undiagnosed respiratory disease and made up 97% of lung cancer diagnoses [2]. The campaign also targeted friends and family, so they could pass on the message to anyone who may be experiencing these symptoms, but who may not have realised the significance or delayed going to their GP.
By running activity in both England and Wales, it was hoped that the campaigns could increase opportunities for the campaign messages to reach more of the target audience. For example, adverts broadcast by Public Health England appeared on digital channels also available across Wales.
What were the key messages?
The key message for the lung cancer campaigns was ‘If you’ve had a cough for three weeks or more, tell your doctor.’
The aim was to encourage more people with the symptom to visit their GP earlier. The advertising highlighted that finding cancer early makes it more treatable.
The advertising did not focus on smoking. Previous lung cancer awareness projects revealed that including a smoking message can disengage smokers because they feel they are being nagged. It can also make non-smokers feel the campaign is not relevant to them, when no matter if a person smokes or not, the message shouldn’t be ignored.
For respiratory symptoms, the key messages for the public were:
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If you’ve had a cough for three weeks or more, it could be a sign of lung disease, including cancer. Finding it early makes it more treatable. So don’t ignore it, tell your doctor.
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If you get out of breath doing things you used to be able to do, it could be a sign of lung or heart disease, or even cancer. Finding it early makes it more treatable. So don’t ignore it, tell your doctor.
The campaign combined lung cancer and breathlessness, to encourage more people with these symptoms to visit their GP earlier. For all diseases linked to breathlessness, early diagnosis makes treating them successfully more likely, which helps to prolong survival.