Only Fools and Horses star Patrick Murray has issued an update on his health after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The actor, who played Mickey Pearce in the sitcom, took to Twitter to say he'd been 'cured' and that a tumour found on his liver had shrunk and was 'treatable'.
Fortunately, the tumour found on his liver is unconnected to the disease in his lungs and his chemotherapy treatment proved to be a success. In order to tackle the terrifying condition, the 65 year old underwent both chemotherapy and surgery, receiving transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (Tace), which restricts blood supply to the tumour, as reported by The Mirror.
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Taking to Twitter, Patrick said: “After an op in Oct to remove the tumour I had chemo to help prevent cancer returning. During this chemo, another tumour was discovered in my liver.
“Luckily for me, this cancer was unconnected to the lung cancer and was also treatable. I had a procedure called Tace to deal with this.
“Last Friday l saw my oncologist. She told me the lung cancer was cured and that the tumour in my liver was shrinking.”
To have the best chance of overcoming lung cancer, it is vital to catch it early. Below is an early lung cancer symptom to look out for as well as a host of other signs that mean you should probably check in with a doctor.
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Early lung cancer symptom
One common symptom of lung cancer that is easy to spot is a cough that won’t go away.
The American Cancer Society highlight that it might keep getting worse while Johns Hopkins Medicine adds that the cough might be described as ‘chronic’, specifying that it lasts for eight weeks.
The NHS, however, is more cautious, saying a common symptom of the disease is “a cough that doesn’t go away after two or three weeks” or a “long-standing cough that gets worse”.
It is important to note that this symptom could also be an indication of different conditions, including those much less worrying than cancer.
All common lung cancer symptoms
As well as symptoms surrounding coughing, there are a number of other symptoms that can come into play for people suffering from the condition.
The American Cancer Society point to the following symptoms of common among people with lunger cancer:
- Coughing up blood or rust-coloured sputum (spit or phlegm)
- Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
- Hoarseness
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or weak
- Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
- New onset of wheezing
The health organisation also adds that if the cancer spreads then other symptoms may begin to emerge.
They include:
- Bone pain (like pain in the back or hips)
- Nervous system changes from cancer spread to the brain - this includes things like headaches and balance problems
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), from cancer spread to the liver
- Swelling of lymph nodes (collection of immune system cells) such as those in the neck or above the collarbone.
