Superfit never-smoker hit with shock terminal lung most cancers at 45 – the one signal was in his LEG
A superfit cyclist has flagged a little-known sign of lung cancer that affects the legs — after he was delivered a shock diagnosis of advanced disease, despite never having smoked.
Chad Dunbar, a 45-year-old father-of-two, was horrified to learn he had late stage lung cancer that had spread to his brain, liver, bones and the lymph nodes near his heart, in 2023.
The tech company executive has since been told that he has a megre five per cent chance of surviving for longer than five years.
Speaking in a video shared by the charity The Young Lung Cancer Initative, Mr Dunbar, from Utah, said the only sign of his disease was pain and swelling in one of his calves.
But having just completed 3,000 miles (4,800km) on his bike that season, he assumed the problem was related to an over-worked muscle.
A series of tests proved that the pain was a sign of something far more sinister.
Recalling the moment he got the news Mr Dunbar said: ‘The nurse came in she’s like, hey, we think you have lung cancer.
‘I was thinking, man, there’s no way.
‘I was doing 3,000 miles on my mountain bike every season and my lungs were probably the healthiest piece of me.’
His reaction was, ‘denial, it was p***** off, I’d get mad a lot…I had a lot of questions, how, why me?,’ he said.
Now, he has urged others to remain ‘vigilant’ for subtle signs of the disease, stating ‘anyone with lungs can get lung cancer’.
While the most common signs of lung cancer are a cough that doesn’t go away, chest infections and persistent breathlessness, there are other, lesser-known symptoms that crop up if the disease has spread.
Cancer can trigger swelling in the limbs if it has moved to the lymph nodes — a collection of glands that help waste exit the body.
If they are inflammed due to a tumour, this can cause a fluid build-up called lymphedema.
A growing tumour can also press on a blood vessel — leading to reduced blood flow and fluid build-up — or inhibit the function of a vital organ like the heart or lungs, which can lead to swelling in another part of the body.
Mr Dunbar’s lung cancer features what is known as a RET mutation — an error in the genetic code of his cells, which causes them to grow and multiply out of control.
Mr Dunbar believed his lungs were the ‘healthiest’ bit of him, before being diagnosed with late stage lung cancer in 2023
Lung cancer kills some 35,000 Brits each year, about four every hour. However, rates of the disease have declined some 9 per cent since 90s across the population as a whole
RET mutations account for about one in 50 lung cancers that develop in the lining of the airways and air sacs, and form a large percentage of cases among younger, never-smokers.
Initially, Mr Dunbar appeared to respond to treatment, which included taking targeted drugs as well as standard chemotherapy.
‘My scans in July showed a big improvement,’ he said.
‘I had six spots on my brain that went down to two, the three spots in my ribs they couldn’t find, the spots in my liver had gone down and the main tumour in my lung had continued to shrink.’
However, in an update in March 2024, doctors revealed they had since discovered that tumours in his brain and liver had grown — vastly reducing his chances of survival.
‘My doctors gave me a five per cent chance of living over five years,’ he said.
After a brief ‘pity party’, Mr Dunbar, who works in the tech industry, decided he’d continue to fight.
‘I thought, hey, you know what? Freaking 5 per cent, I’ll take those odds,’ he said.
Now, Mr Dunbar plans to ‘enjoy every minute’ that he has with his sons Walker and Noah, and wife Allyson.
Writing as part of the video’s release he added: ‘My longing to live is greater than my fear of dying so I am hopeful that we will beat this and be better for it.’
Since the video was published Mr Dunbar has started an experimental treatment trial that requires him to fly out California every fortnight.
While smoking still accounts for about 70 per cent of lung cancer cases, experts have noted a mysterious rise in the disease among patients who have never smoked.
Earlier this year, scientists found patients who have never smoked now account for a greater number of lung cancer cases than those with a history of smoking.
While the exact cause is under investigation, experts believe increasing exposure to air pollution could be responsible.
Lung cancer kills some 35,000 patients in Britain each year, about four every hour, making it the largest cause of cancer death in the UK.
Symptoms of lung cancer include a persistent cough that doesn’t go away after three weeks, repeated chest infections, coughing up blood, pain while breathing, persistent breathlessness and fatigue, and unexpected weight loss.
Other, more unusual signs of lung cancer include change in the appearance of your fingers, difficulty or pain swallowing, wheezing, changes in your voice, and swelling of the face or neck.
Anyone with any of these signs is urged to see their GP.
