I’ve never smoked but my persistent cough turned out to be lung cancer

A non-smoker whose persistent cough turned out to be a sign of lung cancer wants to help raise awareness about the fact that the disease doesn't only impact those who smoke.

Dave Marcus, 57, from Knutsford, Cheshire, says he "unintentionally ignored" his cough because he's never smoked before. "It’s a sobering thought to think how close things got," he says. "So much of that is down to the perception of lung cancer – or lack of understanding around this type of cancer. I was so focused on the fact that I had never smoked that I, unintentionally, ignored the clearest of warning signs – a persistent cough. But I wasn’t alone in this thinking."

Every year, 48,500 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK, but around a third of those cases are unrelated to smoking. While the NHS says smoking cigarettes is the single biggest risk factor for lung cancer, there are other reasons people develop the disease including exposure to certain chemicals and substances which are used in several occupations and industries. Research has also found that frequently being exposed to diesel fumes over many years increases your risk of developing lung cancer.

Dave is now supporting the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation's Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month. The charity are calling for a stop to terms like smoker and never-smoker. "We need to do everything we can to ensure everyone with lung cancer is diagnosed as quickly as possible,” Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the foundation explains. "Labels like ‘smoker’ and ‘never smoker’ can distort what’s really going on and stop people getting diagnosed earlier. It’s time to let go of these archaic labels. Lung cancer doesn’t see them and neither should we."

Dave's story

Dave had seen the adverts about how a persistent cough could be a sign of lung cancer. As someone who had never smoked, however, he presumed it didn’t apply to him, but that assumption almost cost him his life.

After months of coughing Dave was diagnosed with a chest infection and given antibiotics, but didn't get any better. Eventually the cough became so severe that it caused a hernia for which he had surgery, but the cough remained. "Even by this point, I wasn’t concerned about my cough," he explains. "After the hernia operation, it became quite mild. I’d cough occasionally through the day and night. It wasn’t aggressive, just persistent."

Dave describes his cough as being more irritating than worrisome. "It never felt ominous," he says. "I think that’s why lung cancer was never in my mind, and why would it be? I hadn’t smoked so why would I get lung cancer?"

At the time Dave's partner, Emelie, was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and, following his chest infection diagnosis, insisted he got a second opinion. He spoke to a doctor through his work at healthcare company Teladoc Health, which led to his lung cancer diagnosis in October this year. "This doctor took things seriously, especially given I'd had this cough for around seven months," Dave explains. "He insisted I see a respiratory consultant. That’s when I got the biggest shock of my life."

After further tests doctors discovered Dave had a 7.8cm tumour and he was diagnosed with lung cancer. His tumour was 2mm within the threshold for surgery, but if it had been any bigger Dave could have been looking at a very different prognosis.

"It wasn’t until I got that second opinion that lung cancer became a possibility," Dave adds. "It’s definitely time we stop thinking about lung cancer in this way. I am proof that it can happen to anyone and catching it early means there’s life after lung cancer."

Lung cancer prevention

• Quitting smoking - The NHS advises that every year you do not smoke decreases your risk of getting serious illnesses, such as lung cancer. "After 12 years of not smoking, your chance of developing lung cancer falls to more than half that of someone who smokes," the national health service advises. "After 15 years, your chances of getting lung cancer are almost the same as someone who has never smoked."

• Eating a balanced diet - Research suggests that eating a low-fat, high-fibre diet, including at least five portions a day of fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of wholegrains, can reduce your risk of lung cancer.

• Exercise - The NHS says there is also some evidence to show that regular exercise may lower the risk of getting lung cancer, particularly in people who smoke or used to smoke.

Read more about cancer:

• Chris Hoy hopes to 'change perspective' of living with stage four cancer (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read)

• Nine symptoms you should never ignore, according to GPs (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)

• This is the moment I told my loved ones I was cancer-free (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)