Coping with breathlessness when you have lung cancer

Feeling short of breath can be hard to live with. It can make you feel tired and like everything is a struggle. Some days might seem harder than others. But some things can help you to cope.

What can cause breathlessness?

Chest infections

You might have a chest infection if you are more breathless than usual and are coughing up coloured phlegm or have a temperature. People with lung cancer can be more prone to infections. 

Contact your GP or specialist nurse. You might need a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection. Then your breathing will be easier.

Feeling anxious

If you are very anxious, this can make you feel more breathless. This can be very frightening and make you feel even more anxious.

If you feel panicky, try to slow your breathing down. Concentrate on breathing in and out slowly.

You can practise using breathing exercises so that you are confident about using them when you need to.

You can also learn relaxation techniques. There are online resources or books available. Some support groups can lend you books and other resources. Or you might be able to borrow some from your local library.

A low red cell count (anaemia)

You might be breathless because of a drop in red blood cells. This could be due to a treatment such as chemotherapy or cancer.

Lung surgery

Some breathlessness is normal after lung surgery.  This depends on the type of operation you have had and how fit and well you normally are. If you had breathing problems before the operation, you might still have some problems afterwards.

While some people find that their breathing improves as they recover, others might have long term problems. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage this. You could ask to be referred to a breathlessness clinic.

A build up of fluid between the layers covering the lung (pleura)

Cancer cells can inflame the two layers covering the lung (pleura) and cause fluid. The fluid builds up in the space between the layers (pleural space). This is also called a pleural effusion. The fluid stops your lungs from expanding fully, causing breathlessness.

You can have treatment to stop fluid from building up and help relieve symptoms. This treatment is called pleurodesis.

Read more about treatment for fluid on the lung (pleural effusion)

Muscle weakness 

Muscles that help with breathing can weaken in some people with lung cancer. This is often because of a condition called cachexia. Cachexia is a complex change in the body, causing you to lose muscle and often fat.

A partly blocked airway 

If a lung cancer partly blocks your airway, it can make it hard to breathe.

Your doctor might suggest that you have a tube called a stent put into the airway to keep it open. This can help you to breathe more easily. They might also treat it with heat to destroy the cancer (thermal ablation).

Read more about a tube to keep the airway open (airway stent)

A build up of fluid between the layers covering the heart (pericardial effusion)

Lung cancer that grows into the layers covering the heart can cause fluid to build up. This is also called a pericardial effusion. It affects how well the heart works and cause breathlessness.

Treatment might involve draining the fluid. Your doctor might also suggest other treatments.

Lung tissue changes after radiotherapy (radiation pneumonitis or fibrosis)

Radiotherapy to the chest area might cause some inflammation of your lungs. Soon after the treatment, you might have a dry cough or shortness of breath. This is called acute radiation pneumonitis (pronounced new-mon-eye-tiss).

In a small number of people, a cough and breathlessness can continue. This is because of changes in the lung tissue called chronic radiation pneumonitis. It might start many months or a few years after treatment.

Lung changes caused by chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy

Some types of chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted drugs used to treat lung cancer can cause changes to the lung tissue. This is rare, but it might cause breathlessness. Your doctor will suggest ways of managing it.

More information about coping with breathlessness

There are treatments that can help you to breathe more easily and there are things you can do to help yourself. 

Find out about treatments and what you can do