My 'Long Covid' turned out to be incurable lung cancer - even though I've never touched a cigarette in my life READ MORE: Popular drug could end outbreak of colon cancer in young people By Rebecca Whittaker For Mailonline Published: 02:00, 6 November 2024 | Updated: 02:12, 6 November 2024 e-mail View comments A mother of-three has revealed the unlikely symptoms of her deadly lung cancer — which didn't include a cough. Melanie Erwin, 57, from London , believed she was suffering Long Covid, as her main sign something was wrong was terrible fatigue. The vegetarian yoga enthusiast, who has never smoked, visited her GP towards the end of 2020, who referred Ms Erwin for an X-ray.
Devastatingly, the scans revealed a 'mass' in her left lung, which was later found to be non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — the most common type of the disease. Despite being treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, another growth was discovered in March 2024, which indicated the disease had returned. Doctors concluded her disease was stage 4 and incurable.
Lung cancer is the UK's biggest cancer killer, according to the Lung Cancer Coalition, claiming more than 35,000 lives every year. Around a quarter of those diagnosed with the disease every year are non-smokers. 'People tend to be very surprised when I tell them what type of cancer I have,' Ms Erwin told The Mirror.
'They look at me and my very healthy lifestyle, having never smoked and they can't understand how I have this disease.' M.