4th Lung Cancer Europe Report
Early diagnosis and screening challenges in lung cancer
Published November 2019
Lung Cancer Europe’s fourth report examined why lung cancer was still so often diagnosed at a later stage and what could help improve earlier detection across Europe.
The report explored the experiences of people diagnosed with lung cancer, including symptom awareness, delays in seeking and receiving a diagnosis, and interactions with healthcare services. It also looked at knowledge and perceptions of lung cancer screening at a time when screening programmes were beginning to develop across Europe.
368 people
included in the main survey
18 countries
represented across Europe
7 languages
used for the survey
The survey ran from 5 August to 23 September 2019.What the report looked at
Recognising symptoms
How awareness, interpretation and normalisation of symptoms could affect when people sought medical advice.
The route to diagnosis
Delays and barriers between first experiencing symptoms, seeing a healthcare professional, undergoing tests and receiving a diagnosis.
Stigma and perceptions of risk
How fear, stigma and assumptions about who develops lung cancer could contribute to delays.
Lung cancer screening
What people understood about screening, their views on its benefits and potential harms, and the barriers that could affect participation.
“The sooner lung cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances are for being cured or having more treatment possibilities to choose from.”
The report found that delays in diagnosis could happen at several points, from recognising symptoms and seeking help to referral, testing and specialist assessment. It also identified stigma, low awareness and unequal access to services as barriers to earlier diagnosis.
What Lung Cancer Europe called for
Earlier diagnosis
Improve awareness of lung cancer risk factors and symptoms across Europe, using clear, consistent and non-stigmatising information that can be translated and adapted for different countries.
Lung cancer screening
Include lung cancer screening in European cancer screening policy, alongside better information and awareness to support participation in screening programmes.
Earlier diagnosis moved up the agenda
Early diagnosis and screening challenges in lung cancer documented the barriers people experienced before receiving a diagnosis and examined attitudes towards lung cancer screening across Europe.
Published in 2019, the report added lived experience evidence to a growing European discussion about earlier detection and the introduction of organised lung cancer screening programmes.
Lung Cancer Early Diagnosis and Screening in Europe Lung Cancer Europe 4th Report