There are many causes of chest pain and most of these are not due to lung cancer. However, unexplained chest pain should never be ignored and it is always important to have it checked out by a doctor.

If the cause of the chest pain is a lung cancer then it will usually show up on a chest x-ray. Because of this the Department of Health has given guidelines to family doctors (GPs) suggesting they should arrange an urgent chest x-ray for anyone who comes with chest pain without any other obvious cause (such as an infection). A chest x-ray is also recommended for anyone who has chest pain for more than 3 weeks.

So it would be a good idea for your father to see his GP. Then, if his doctor thinks it is necessary, a chest x-ray can be arranged to be on the safe side.

If the x-ray shows something that might suggest your father could have a lung cancer then they will arrange an urgent referral to a chest specialist.Usually this appointment will be made within two weeks.

The chest specialist will ask your father about his symptoms and examine him. They may then do some more tests to help them make a diagnosis. the cause. These may include:

• taking a sample of phlegm (sputum) to look at under the microscope
• passing a narrow flexible tube (bronchoscopy) to look at the air passages and possibly take samples of tissue (biopsies) for examination.
• a detailed scan called a CT-scan

If these tests do confirm that there is a cancer in the lung then further treatment might involve an operation to remove it, or some radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depending on the type of the lung cancer and the area of the lung affected.