Lung cancer

When you are under investigation for or diagnosed with lung cancer, you will be under a team of specialist doctors and nurses. Our team covers North Tyneside and Northumberland.

Anyone can develop lung cancer, including non-smokers. Some symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Persistent cough
• Breathlessness
• Coughing up blood
• Reduced appetite and/or weight loss
• Unexplained fatigue
• Hoarseness
• Repeat chest infections
• Chest/Shoulder pain

We have many routes in which you may come into our service, but the most common is via a GP referral. 

Following a referral into the service, you may first speak to either a respiratory consultant or a senior lung cancer nurse. This may be face to face or by telephone.

At this first appointment, we will ask lots of questions to gather information about your overall health and fitness. From there, we may need to organise some further tests.

Some common investigations which may be arranged are:

• Chest x-ray
• Lung function test
• USS guided biopsy
• MRI
• CT guided biopsy
• Thoracoscopy
• PET CT
• Mediastinoscopy
• Surgical biopsy
• CT scan
• EBUS/bronchoscopy

These tests will be coordinated by our team, but may not always be within our hospitals. Occasionally, we have to send you to other hospital trusts in the region.

Depending on the outcome of these investigations, you may need some treatment and ongoing follow-up.