Lung cancer doesn’t always look how you’d expect
The signs can be vague, easy to miss, or brushed off as something else.
Find out what to look for and what to do if symptoms don’t go away.
Get Checked! is Lung Cancer Europe’s flagship awareness campaign - now in its sixth year.
Since 2021, it's helped more people across Europe recognise the signs of lung cancer, catch it earlier, and feel less alone after diagnosis.
In 2026, we are focusing on what happens between people and primary care.
This year's campaign will be built around real experiences from both sides of the door - people who have lived with lung cancer symptoms and navigated the path to diagnosis, and primary care professionals who see those conversations from the other side.
They will tell us what symptoms actually feel like day to day. What makes people hesitate. What an early appointment is really like. And what it looks like when a clinician is trying to act on something that is not yet clear.
Together, those stories help us understand why earlier lung cancer diagnosis is not always straightforward and what it would take to change that.
What kind of support are we talking about?
From the stories shared across Europe, we’ve identified five key areas where support can make a real difference after a lung cancer diagnosis:
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Support for your emotional health helps with coping, confidence and day-to-day life.
Exercise and Nutrition
Eating well and staying active can improve strength, energy and recovery.
Caregiving and Social Support
Whether it’s family, friends or professionals – support systems matter, and not everyone has one.
Clear and Understandable Information
Knowing what’s happening and what to expect helps people feel more in control.
Complementary Therapies
Breathing techniques, mindfulness and creative activities can bring calm during a difficult time.
Be Part of Get Checked! 2026
We’re looking for people to share their experience for our 2026 campaign.
Whether you are living with lung cancer, have been through a diagnosis journey, or work in primary care, your story matters.
This year we are exploring what happens between people and primary care - the moment symptoms meet healthcare systems, and why earlier lung cancer diagnosis is not always straightforward. We want to tell that story from both sides.
Your experience could feature on our website, social media channels, and in campaign materials shared by Lung Cancer Europe member organisations across Europe.
Get the facts about lung cancer and find out how to be part of our awareness campaign!
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Lung cancer symptoms can include a persistent cough, breathlessness, fatigue that won’t go away, chest or shoulder pain, and unexplained weight loss. If these symptoms last more than a few weeks, it’s time to get checked. Find out more on here.
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Yes. Lung cancer can affect anyone – including people who have never smoked. In fact, rates are rising among women and younger people with no smoking history. If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer.
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Get Checked! is Lung Cancer Europe’s awareness campaign. Now in its sixth year, it aims to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms, improve early diagnosis, and challenge outdated assumptions about who is at risk.
6 quick answers about symptoms, risk factors and our 2026 campaign.
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This year's campaign focuses on primary care - the first point of contact between people and the healthcare system when symptoms appear.
We are exploring that space from both sides: what it is like to notice symptoms and navigate the path to diagnosis, and what it looks like from the other side of the desk. The campaign is not about educating clinicians. It is about telling an honest, human story about why earlier lung cancer diagnosis is not always straightforward and why it matters.
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We are looking for two groups of people.
If you are living with lung cancer, have been diagnosed, or have personal experience of lung cancer symptoms and diagnosis, we would love to hear from you.
If you work in primary care - as a GP, practice nurse, pharmacist, physician associate, or in another primary care role - we would also love to hear your perspective.
You do not need to be an expert or have a particular type of story. We are interested in honest, real experience, whatever that looks like for you.
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Fill in our short story gathering form. It takes around 5 minutes and there are no right or wrong answers.
Once you submit, someone from the Get Checked! team will be in touch within two weeks for a brief conversation to find out more. Nothing will be published without a further conversation with you first.
Click HERE to get started.
What does support look like for you?
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![A smiling woman with short dark hair, wearing a black and gold patterned top, stands in front of a textured stone wall.]()
"Feeling informed about my specific type of rare lung cancer (ALK+) and being looked after by people who understand it."
— Emma
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![A smiling man wearing glasses and a checkered shirt stands in front of a pink wall.]()
"For me it's the knowledge that my friends and family have always been there for me without question."
— James
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![A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles, wearing a denim shirt and a necklace with two interlinked circles, making a surprised or excited facial expression.]()
"Having the people around you to make you feel understood and not the odd one out at a party you never wanted to be invited to in the first place."
— Lizzie
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"The amazing people who also have ALK+ lung cancer that I’ve met on my journey."
— Tina
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"Knowing that my oncology team's calm professional manner is reassuring and they are with me every step of the way on my lung cancer journey."
— Martin
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"You need to advocate for yourself so much, especially when asking for mental health support. Nothing is offered, you have to ask for everything."
— Allison
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"Always there in the background if you want it. On my day of diagnosis, immediate support was given and has never stopped two years later."
— Gillian
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“Offering hope, helping with appointments, lifts to places when suddenly you can no longer drive, listening being there and practical support, not just for me but my family. Also to feel the love from those closest so it’s not a lonely place.”
— Karen
Helping understand where lung cancer diagnosis begins
"Get Checked has spent six years building something real - a campaign that travels across Europe because our members believe in it. In 2026 we are turning the lens on primary care, and I think it is some of the most important work we have done. The stories we tell this year could genuinely change how people understand the path to diagnosis."
- Angeliki Souri, Get Checked! Project Chair and LuCE VP
6 years of Get Checked!
Since 2021, Lung Cancer Europe’s Get Checked! campaign has been helping people across Europe recognise the signs of lung cancer and take action early.
Each year, we’ve focused on something new:
2021: Get Checked - Know the symptoms
2022: Get Diagnosed - Understand the process
2023: Get Tested - Learn about biomarker testing
2024: Get Educated - Challenge the myths and stigma
2025: Get Supported - Find out what support really means in lung cancer
And now… 2026 is all about the primary care experience.
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