Lung cancer patients are likely to suffer significant stigma due to the disease’s link to smoking, according to a survey published today.

The research, which was carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of The Global Lung Cancer Coalition, investigated attitudes surrounding the disease, which is the biggest cancer killer worldwide.

Researchers found that between 10% and 29% of people in the countries surveyed admitted they felt less sympathetic towards lung cancer sufferers because of its known association with smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products.