Pioneering programme finds 500 lung cancers in North East and North Cumbria
More than 500 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier by a pioneering NHS programme which is now active across the whole North East and North Cumbria region.
The Lung Cancer Screening programme helps to save lives by identifying lung cancer at an earlier stage, when it can be cured.
More than 180,000 people in the region have so far been invited for lung health checks, with a focus on those aged 55-74 who have smoked at some point in their lives.
69 year-old Bernadette Morris, a medical secretary at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, smoked for 45 years before quitting in 2021. Bernadette, who is a step-great-grandmother, had already survived breast cancer, and this year had surgery to remove lung cancer.
She said: "The best thing I ever did was go for lung screening. I was upset when I first got the diagnosis but then felt so lucky that I’d been offered a check.
"It's amazing how fast it all happened. I went through the system like a bullet! I've got nothing but positive things to say – I feel really, really lucky and grateful to be here.
"That's twice I've been picked up by cancer screening. It feels a bit like a dream – I was even treated just upstairs from my office in the Freeman. People said I should just retire, but I'm happy to pick my life up again and get back to work. It was a wake-up call for me, a reminder of how good life is."
Business owner Margaret Bond, 71, got her invitation in June this year but wasn't sure about it at first: "I wasn't going to go – I thought 'I'm alright, no symptoms, no cough or anything'. I couldn't believe it when they said I had stage three cancer. Another few weeks and I'd have had my chips!"
After recently completing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Margaret is now looking forward to getting back to her two passions, cycling and swimming, as well as running her own pest control company.
"I like to go to Spain for my birthday, but I had my 71st in the Freeman. I can't praise the staff enough – so compassionate, you know you're in good hands. If you get one of their letters, just go!"
David Davison, a 72 year-old grandfather, is now happily back on his local golf course after his successful treatment. He said: "I couldn't believe it when they said they'd found something, but it all happened so fast. I was offered keyhole surgery, it was out so quickly, and I was up and about the next day. I remember watching the FA Cup Final in hospital and then I was out after a few days."
The Lung Cancer Screening programme is led by the Northern Cancer Alliance and North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), with the aim of inviting every current or former smoker aged 55-74 in the region to have a check by 2028. After extending into Northumberland, North Tyneside, County Durham and North Cumbria, the service is now active in every part of the North East and North Cumbria region.
Dr Liz Fuller, the Alliance's lung cancer screening lead, said: "If you get a letter for an NHS lung health check, please don't ignore it – that 15-minute appointment could save your life. Most of the cancers we find through these checks are in the earlier stages, when it can still be cured.
"People are often understandably afraid but treatments have changed a lot, and many more people are now getting back to their normal life after cancer treatment."
Dr Ruth Sharrock, the Alliance’s lung cancer lead, added: "If a friend or family member has been coughing for three weeks or more, it's best to encourage them to contact their GP practice. It’s probably nothing serious, but it could be cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment of cancer saves lives."