About us

There are two main types of primary lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer (the most common type of lung cancer) and small cell lung cancer, which is less common and accounts for about 10% of cases.

There are two main types of non-small cell lung cancers - adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinomas. They are grouped together as they behave in a similar way. Rarer forms of lung cancer include mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung covering (pleura).

Kingston Hospital offers a comprehensive diagnostic service. Investigations can include lung function testing, bronchoscopies, specialist ultrasound or CT guided biopsy, MRI scans, CT and PET scanning. Our pathology service provides expert analysis of blood, cells and tissues.

We may also ask you to attend neighbouring hospitals for more specialist tests such as a PET scan or endobronchial ultrasound at Royal Marsden Hospital.

Treatments for lung cancer include surgery, systemic therapy and radiotherapy or a combination of these treatments.

If surgery is a treatment option you will have your surgery at St George’s Hospital. Follow-up will then be at Kingston Hospital.

Radiotherapy takes place at Royal Marsden Hospital under the care of a clinical oncologist.

Systemic therapy is given at Kingston Hospital in the Sir William Rous Unit under the management of a medical oncologist from the Royal Marsden Hospital. This treatment may be chemotherapy, tablet therapy, immunotherapy or a combination of these treatments. They are administered intravenously or orally.

Symptoms

If you are already a patient under the care of the Respiratory / Lung cancer team and have had any of the following symptoms please contact the respiratory secretaries on 0208 934 2321, option 3 or the lung cancer nurse specialists on 0208 9342725 respectively.

  • Coughing up blood
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • New cough lasting > 3 weeks
  • Loss of appetite
  • New breathlessness
  • Recurrent chest infections
  • New and persistent chest, back, arm or shoulder pain.

If you are not yet known to the team, please discuss your concerns with your GP as a matter of urgency.

Key staff

Our lung cancer team is made up of specialists from across the hospital, including:

  • Respiratory doctors responsible for diagnosis
  • Specialist radiologists and histopathologists who analyse image and samples
  • Clinical or Cancer Nurse Specialists
  • Specialist surgeons and oncologists who deliver treatment

This short video about our lung cancer specialist nurses will help to further demonstrate the role of our team in your care.

You can find further information about lung cancer at Cancer Research UK or Macmillan Cancer Support.

Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA)

If you have cancer, you often need care, support and information above and beyond the management of your condition.

At a holistic needs assessment, a doctor or nurse will discuss your physical, emotional and social needs. It’s about you as a whole, not just your illness.

This is a chance for you to share as much as you want about your worries and concerns. It will help us to clarify your needs and make sure you are referred to the relevant services.

It’s not compulsory, and if you decide not to have an HNA it won’t affect your care. But many patients find it useful because it identifies what help is available – and the doctor or nurse carrying it out can refer you to other services.

An HNA may be offered:

  • Around the time of diagnosis or start of treatment
  • When surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy has been completed
  • Any time a patient asks for one