Too much focus on smoking status when someone has symptoms of lung cancer could prevent people from receiving a diagnosis as quickly as they should, a charity has warned.

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is calling for an end to the “smoker” and “non-smoker” labels, saying they can have a “direct impact” on how quickly the disease is detected.

The charity says smokers may be reluctant to have their symptoms checked due to feelings of guilt or shame, while non-smokers may not be offered the appropriate tests and checks to rule out cancer.

The campaign was backed by the parents of a man whose lung cancer symptoms were blamed on stress – because he didn’t smoke.

Gordon Handley, whose son Liam died in 2021, believes his non-smoking status “counted against him” and contributed to the delays.

Liam Handley, from Glossop, suffered from anxiety and when he visited his GP for chest pains he was told it was caused by stress.

After nine months of worsening symptoms, he was diagnosed in August 2020 with advanced lung cancer that had spread to his spine, liver and lymph nodes.

His mother Lynn said: “I don’t think lung cancer was ever considered.

“Liam did not fit the stereotype of a lung cancer patient: he was young, non-smoker, not overweight and relatively fit.

“It certainly wasn’t in our heads, but it wasn’t in the GPs either and that’s where the problem lies.”

Liam initially responded well to treatment, but began experiencing chest pain again in April 2021.

Scans showed his cancer was getting worse again and he died in October that year, aged 37.

The foundation estimates that around 48,500 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year in the UK, with around a third of cases unrelated to smoking.

According to Mr. Handley, the fact that Liam was a non-smoker “obscured the doctors’ vision.”

He said: “We can only think the non-smoking label worked against Liam.

“The fact that he did not smoke clouded the doctor’s opinion, which is why lung cancer was never considered. Now we are left with so many questions and his children will grow up without their father.

Roy Castle managing director Paula Chadwick added: “The earlier lung cancer is detected, the more treatment options a person has – including a cure.

“So when we hear a story like Liam’s, in which there are clearly missed opportunities to diagnose earlier, it’s critical that we understand what went wrong.”

The association’s Let Go Of The Labels campaign calls for an end to terms such as smoker and never-smoker when it comes to lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Lung cancer is still intrinsically linked to smoking, but the reality is that anyone can get this disease, whether they have smoked or not,” Ms Chadwick said.

“The more people we talked to, the more we recognized that labels like smoker and non-smoker had a direct impact on how quickly people were diagnosed.

“If a person has smoked, they may feel more reluctant to seek help because they feel shame or guilt, or their symptoms are directly attributed to smoking.

“Meanwhile, if a person has not smoked, they are often not referred for testing as quickly as they could have been because they don’t fit the idea of ​​someone likely to have lung cancer.”

Dave Marcus, from Cheshire, was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2021, when he was 54 years old.

He suffered from a persistent cough, which he knew could be a symptom of lung cancer, but he thought it did not apply to him as a non-smoker.

At the time of diagnosis, he had a 7.8 cm tumor.

Mr Marcus, now 57, said: “It’s sobering how close things have come, and a lot of that is due to the perception of lung cancer – or lack of understanding of it. type of cancer.

“I was so focused on the fact that I had never smoked that I unintentionally ignored the clearest warning sign: a persistent cough.

“It’s definitely time to stop thinking about lung cancer that way. I am proof that it can happen to anyone and that catching it early means there is life after lung cancer.

Ms Chadwick added: “We must do everything we can to ensure everyone with lung cancer is diagnosed as quickly as possible.

“Labels like ‘smoker’ or ‘never smoker’ can distort reality and prevent people from receiving a diagnosis sooner.

“It’s time to abandon these archaic labels. Lung cancer doesn’t see them and neither should we.