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Strike action between Monday 2 October to Thursday 5 October 2023

Consultants and junior doctors at The Christie will both strike between 7am on Monday 2 October to 7am on Thursday 5 October 2023. Both consultants and junior doctors will still provide emergency care during their strikes.

We are proactively contacting patients with appointments that may be affected by this strike. If you have an appointment at the Trust on any of these dates, please continue to come to The Christie and our other centres as planned unless we contact you to tell you otherwise. There may be longer waits than usual in clinics during this time.

Please do not call to check if your appointment is still going ahead.

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Tracheal - windpipe cancer

The trachea (windpipe) is the tube that connects your mouth and nose to your lungs. It goes on to divide into the two airways (the right bronchus and the left bronchus, together called bronchi), which supply air to each lung.

Cancer of the trachea is rare and only makes up about 0.1% (1 in 1,000) of all cancers. The most common types of tracheal cancer are squamous cell carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma. Squamous cell cancers start in the cells that line different parts of the body, such as the airways, the mouth and the gullet. Adenoid cystic cancers are rarer and develop from glandular tissue. They can develop in different parts of the body but more commonly in the head and neck area.

Symptoms of tracheal cancer

The most common symptoms of tracheal cancer are:

  • a dry cough
  • breathlessness
  • a hoarse voice
  • difficulty in swallowing
  • fevers, chills and chest infections that keep coming back
  • coughing up blood
  • wheezing or noisy breathing.

These symptoms are common in conditions other than cancer. However, it is important to tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.

At The Christie, the lung cancer team in clinical oncology may treat cancer of the trachea.

Last updated: March 2023

© 2023 The Christie NHS Foundation Trust