This November sees the 8th annual Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and this year The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation are raising awareness of the UK’s biggest cancer killer with the ‘I Love My Lungs‘ campaign, asking celebrities to lend their support to a worth cause.

Lung cancer claims the lives of 35,000 people in the UK every year, so this year The Roy Castle Cancer Foundation has teamed up with celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, Alex Ferguson, Duncan Bannatyne, Jenny Frost, Robert Powell and Tricia Penrose to launch the campaign, promote awareness and ultimately help prevent further loss.

Double Olympic gold medallist rower Pete Reed who has the largest lung capacity ever recorded at 11.68 litres, helped launch the campaign. The official launch of the start of lung cancer awareness month in took place at the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses conference, in Bristol on 1st November. This was done by a giant 12ft high pair of lungs being inflated.

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said:

“We know that public awareness of symptoms of other cancers, such as a lump in your breast or testicles, is quite high.

“But far too few people know that having a cough for three weeks or more can be a sign of lung cancer, despite the fact it is the biggest cancer killer.

“That is why this campaign is so, so important. The earlier people are diagnosed, the more chance they can receive treatment and the more lives that can be saved.

“So if you love your lungs and there is something not quite right then please get it checked out.”

The main lung cancer symptoms are:

• A cough that doesn’t go away after two or three weeks
• Worsening or change to long standing cough
• Repeated chest infections
• Coughing up blood
• Unexplained persistent breathlessness
• Unexplained persistent tiredness
• Unexplained persistent weight loss
• Persistent chest and/or shoulder pain