LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 2026
Every hour, more than 25 people in the EU die from lung cancer. It's the biggest cancer killer in Europe, and still we lower our voices when we say its name.
It's the cancer people keep quiet about at work. The one where the first question, before anyone asks how you are, is "did you smoke?"
That silence runs through several conversations we need to be having. The public one, which stigma keeps shutting down. The one we have with ourselves before we pick up the phone. The one in the GP's consultation room. And the one governments still need to have about screening.
Why lung cancer is still so hard to talk about
People still think lung cancer has a type. It doesn't. Anyone with lungs can get it. But when you expect to be judged, it's easier to say nothing at all.
Spotting lung cancer symptoms sooner
The next conversation is the one we have with ourselves. In our research, nearly two in three people surveyed delayed seeking medical advice after their symptoms appeared. Some weren't sure a cough was worth bothering anyone with. I was one of them. In 2016, I put off seeing my GP for three months because I didn't think I could spare the time. Others were worried about being judged.
It isn't easy on the other side of the desk either. GPs see a lot of people with a cough or breathlessness, and most of them won't have lung cancer. Working out who needs further tests, often with very little time, is hard.
Lung cancer screening in Europe
Recognising symptoms earlier is one part of the answer. Finding lung cancer before symptoms appear, through screening, is another.
In December 2022, the EU recommended that countries explore whether lung cancer screening could work for people at higher risk. Progress since then has been uneven. Croatia already had a national programme, and Germany began offering screening this April. Poland launched its national programme this month, and other countries are at different stages. In much of Europe, there's still no screening programme at all.
At Lung Cancer Europe, we believe that has to change. Where you live in Europe shouldn't decide whether your lung cancer is found early.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month: starting the conversation
Awareness is where change starts. It can't be where it stops.
So this November, we're starting conversations where they're needed most.
In the consultation room, Get Checked! 2026 looks at both sides of the appointment. There's the person deciding whether a symptom is worth checking, and the healthcare professional working out what it might mean. We've brought together real experiences from both, alongside our own research, because each side needs to hear the other.
In public, The Big Lung Cancer Conversation launches outside the European Parliament in Brussels, with a pair of 8-metre lungs that are very hard to walk past. I like that it starts there. The people who set Europe's health priorities should have to walk past it too. Then it goes on the road, so people across Europe can stop and ask the questions they might not ask anywhere else.
None of this is about blame. Not the person who waited, and not the doctor trying to make sense of vague symptoms. It's about making it easier to have the conversation sooner.
What we're asking for
If you've had a cough that won't go away, or something has changed and doesn't feel right, get it checked. You're not wasting anyone's time.
To the GPs and nurses who see people first: thank you. When someone comes back a second time, please keep listening.
To governments across Europe: the recommendation asked you to explore screening. We're asking you to go further, and start building programmes for the people most at risk.
And to our members: thank you for everything you're doing this month. Share Get Checked!, talk about lung cancer wherever you can, and if you'd like the lungs to visit your community, let us know.
In August, I wrote about the years we don't count. This month is about the conversations we're not having. Let's start them now.
And if you see a giant pair of lungs this winter, come and say hello.
Debra Montague
President, Lung Cancer Europe