This is a tool provided by the Irish Cancer Society for information only it is not intended to replace a consultation with your doctor.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the 4th most common cancer in Ireland, with almost 2,600 people being diagnosed each year. It usually affects people over the age of 50.
Detecting cancer early
Learn about changes to look for when checking your body for early detection, and how cancer is usually diagnosed.
Treatments
Lung cancer can be treated with surgery, drug therapies and radiotherapy, depending on the type and where it is found.
What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer is when normal cells in your lung grow in an abnormal way to form a lump called a tumour. Cells from this tumour may spread to other parts of the body.
Almost 2,600 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year in Ireland.*
What are the lungs and what do they do?
The lungs are sponge-like organs in your chest. They allow our bodies to use oxygen by breathing. Your right lung is slightly bigger than your left and has 3 areas called lobes. Your left lung has 2 lobes. The area between the 2 lungs is called the mediastinum. It holds the heart, the oesophagus (food pipe), the trachea (windpipe) and many lymph nodes.
When you breathe in, your bring air into your lungs. Air passes from your nose or mouth through your trachea (windpipe).
From there it divides into 2 airways: the right and left bronchus, which each connect to a lung. The bronchi divide into smaller tubes called bronchioles. Air passes through these bronchioles and into tiny air sacs called alveoli.
The alveoli allow oxygen from the air to pass into your bloodstream when you breathe in. The bloodstream carries oxygen to the cells in your body. The cells need oxygen to live and carry out everyday functions. Carbon dioxide is a waste gas made during cell activity, and your body must get rid of it. Carbon dioxide moves from your bloodstream into the alveoli and leaves your body when you breathe out.
Online Lung Health Checker
How healthy are your lungs?
Take this short quiz and find out more about staying healthy and the signs of lung cancer.
Secondary cancer in the lung (lung metastases)
Sometimes cancer spreads to the lungs from somewhere else in your body, for example, from the breast or bowel. This is treated differently to cancer that starts in the lung (primary lung cancer).
If you want to know about another cancer type that has spread to the lung (metastatic cancer), you can read about metastatic cancer or reach out to us.
Continue reading about Lung Cancer
Our Survivor Support programme we can match you with a volunteer who has gone through a similar experience.
If you’re finding it difficult to get to and from treatments, we may be able to ease some of the strain of travelling to and from your appointments.
