The majority of patients with lung cancer present with symptoms; these symptoms and their positive predictive values for cancer have been identified. Using primary care records, this study looked for the first possible symptom of lung cancer (index symptom), and any trends over time in the proportions of patients with each index symptom. From 2000–2017, the percentages of patients with cough and dyspnoea as an index symptom increased. The percentages of patients with other index symptoms decreased, most notably for haemoptysis and appetite loss. Clinicians should be aware that, although haemoptysis remains an important symptom, its presentation is increasingly rare. Medical education needs to place at least as much emphasis on the more common symptoms of cough and dyspnoea as it does on haemoptysis. |