Publish date: 3 October 2022
If you’re out in Merseyside or Cheshire this week, you might spot something you weren’t expecting…
The NHS, in collaboration with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, is touring the country with a giant pair of 12ft high lungs to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms and start much-needed conversations around the disease.
They will be in Liverpool, Crewe, Macclesfield and St Helens this week.
The inflatable organs are large enough for visitors to step inside where they can learn about typical lung structures, lung health and the effects of smoking. Those attending can also speak to trained community engagement teams and patient advocates who will encourage them to visit their GP to talk about suspected symptoms.
Lung cancer GP referrals have been the slowest of all cancer types to recover since the start of the pandemic, with the Help Us Help You lung cancer campaign aiming to increase early referrals which dramatically improve health outcomes in cancer care.
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in Merseyside. There were 2,616 new diagnoses of lung cancer in the Liverpool in 2014-18, or 523 new cases per year. Lung cancer incidence in Liverpool was 82% higher than expected when compared to overall figures for England.
Jo Shoba, who lives in Liverpool, was diagnosed with lung cancer despite not having symptoms. She was shocked when she was diagnosed with lung cancer through a lung health check even though she had not smoked in over 40 years.
She said: “I was in complete shock! How could I possibly have cancer? It just seemed so unlikely because I was so well. But that’s the thing with lung cancer, as I’ve since learnt. It doesn’t matter who you are, no one is immune.
“The aim of the lung health check is to pick up cases like mine at the earliest possible opportunity before symptoms have even appeared.
“I count myself extremely lucky. Without this intervention my story would probably be very different. I would have known nothing about the cancer in my lung until the appearance of symptoms, quite possibly at a stage when treatment would be much more difficult.
“The care I received – from the initial health check appointment to the subsequent scans, the surgery and the recovery – was amazing, and I am so grateful to the NHS.”
Dr Chris Warburton, Medical Director at Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: “We are delighted to be one of the stops on the Let’s Talk Lung Cancer roadshow.
“Lung cancer is a real issue in Merseyside. Incidence rates are well above the national average, with many people diagnosed with late-stage disease when we can no longer treat with curative intent. Getting out into the heart of the community and having these vital conversations could make all the difference.”
Paula Chadwick, Chief Executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “Lung cancer is a disease that no one wants to talk about, but it is vital that we do because these conversations can save lives. We need to lose the stigma and nihilistic perceptions around lung cancer and be more open about this disease that affects so many of us.
“Yes, lung cancer is currently the UK’s biggest cancer killer but being able to recognise its many different symptoms and taking immediate action can change this, helping people get diagnosed earlier when lung cancer is easier to treat.”
The main symptoms of lung cancer include a cough that doesn’t go away after three weeks, chest infections that keep coming back, coughing up blood, an ache or pain when breathing or coughing, persistent breathlessness, persistent tiredness or lack of energy and/or loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.
Our NHS Long Term Plan aims to save thousands more lives each year by dramatically improving how we diagnose and treat cancer – our ambition is that by 2028, an extra 55,000 people each year will survive for five years or more following their cancer diagnosis.
The Let’s Talk Lung Cancer roadshow will be at Market Street Shopping Centre in Crewe tomorrow (Tuesday October 4th) and Governor Shopping Centre in Macclesfield on Wednesday (October 5th).
The roadshow will then be in Merseyside on Thursday, October 6th, at St John’s Shopping Centre, Liverpool, and Morrisons supermarket, on Boundary Road, St Helens, on the same day.
Anyone concerned about symptoms or affected by lung cancer is urged to visit and chat with the teams.