LUNG cancer patients are not getting the care and attention they deserve, campaigners say.
A continued stigma surrounds the disease, says a the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
The Holme Valley-born star died of lung cancer at the age of 62 despite never having smoked.
He blamed his condition on years of performing in smoky night clubs.
More than 38,000 people die from lung cancer each year in the UK - more than leukaemia, breast and prostate cancer combined.
But lung cancer received just 4% of the national cancer research budget.
Patients with the disease are often denied the best care and treatment and received less information, according to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
It has linked with Macmillan Cancer Relief to launch a Patients' Charter challenging the Government to set out minimum standards for treatment.
Terry Kavanagh, a recovering lung cancer patient and trustee of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: "The goal of the Lung Cancer Patients' Charter is to mobilise Government, policy makers and health professionals to acknowledge the profound impact of lung cancer and ensure the provision of effective resources and support for patients and our families."
The charity said that the stigma linked to lung cancer as a "smokers' disease" remained a major barrier.
