'My cough was dismissed as a chest infection but it was actually lung cancer'

A non-smoker was left stunned when what he thought was a persistent cough due to a chest infection turned out to be lung cancer. Initially prescribed antibiotics and having undergone surgery for a hernia caused by the constant coughing, Dave Marcus' condition did not improve.

The 57-year-old shared, "Even by this point, I wasn’t concerned about my cough. After the hernia operation, the cough had become quite mild."

He continued, "I’d cough occasionally through the day and night. It wasn’t aggressive, just persistent. If anything, it was more irritating than worrisome. It never felt ominous. 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?"

It was only after his partner Emelie, who was undergoing treatment for colon cancer, urged him to seek a second opinion that he spoke to a doctor through his employer, Teladoc Health. This consultation in October led to the shocking discovery of a 7.8cm tumour in his lungs.

Reflecting on the experience, Dave, from Knutsford in Cheshire, said: "This doctor took things much more seriously, especially given the length of time I had had this cough. He insisted I see a respiratory consultant. That’s when I got the biggest shock of my life."

Dave said he initially ignored the warning signs due to the fact he was not a smoker. He admitted: "It’s a sobering thought to think how close things got," and "So much of that is down to the perception of lung cancer – or lack of understanding around this type of cancer."

He confessed: "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."

He said: "It wasn’t until I got that second opinion that lung cancer became a possibility. 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."

Dave is now backing the "Let Go of the Labels" campaign for lung cancer awareness month, which aims to eliminate terms like smoker and never-smoker.

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The lists symptoms of lung cancer other than a cough as; recurring chest infections, coughing up blood, pain when breathing or coughing, constant breathlessness, chronic tiredness or lack of energy, loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss. If you have any symptoms including a cough that lasts longer than three weeks, you should consult your GP.