Give people of Northern Ireland the same chance to beat lung cancer, demand charities
Leading charities Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation have joined together to call for the implementation of lung cancer screening in Northern Ireland.
Lung cancer is responsible for over a fifth (22.9%) of all cancer deaths in Northern Ireland, with late diagnosis a significant factor. Currently, only 19% of people with lung cancer are caught at stage one compared to 44% at stage 4 when curative treatment is no longer possible.
However, screening could save hundreds of lives in Northern Ireland each year.
In England, over 5000 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer through screening, with more than three quarters caught at stages 1 and 2 when there are many more ways to treat, and even cure, the disease.
Gordon Darnell from Liverpool was diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer on Christmas Eve 2021. At the time, he had no symptoms and felt fit and well.
He said: “I thought someone had made a mistake because I felt so well at the time.
“I was able to have keyhole surgery because it had been caught so early and I didn’t need any further treatment. Eight weeks after surgery, I went on holiday to Spain. It was like it never happened.”
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation are now campaigning for people in Northern Ireland to have this same opportunity.
The two charities are co-hosting a panel discussion in the Long Gallery on Tuesday 26th November to give key healthcare professionals and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) the chance to learn from these earlier life-saving pilots.
Richard Spratt, Chief Executive of Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, commented: “We are proud to be standing with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation to call for lung cancer screening in Northern Ireland. If there is a way to help lung cancer patients live longer, and especially if that solution might also alleviate some health service pressures by treating cases when they are less complex, why would we not move to this model? We know from the English pilot that this screening works – and people in NI deserve the same access to healthcare that they would get elsewhere in the UK.”
Paula Chadwick, Chief Executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and working together to bring lung cancer screening to Northern Ireland.
“Having worked with NHS England on the roll out of screening, as well as funding our own pilot programme, we have seen first-hand the positive impact this intervention is having on so many lives. It is only right that people in Northern Ireland have the same opportunity.”
The event will be led by Professor David Baldwin, lead respiratory physician on the UK lung cancer screening trial (UKLS) and advisor to the UK National Screening Committee.
Professor Baldwin will be joined by other key lung cancer experts from Northern Ireland as well as Cathy Brokenshire, the wife of the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire.
Mr Brokenshire died of lung cancer in 2021. After his original diagnosis, the MP campaigned for screening with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, hosting the first debate in Parliament on the subject.
Since his death, Mrs Brokenshire has continued his work and is now a trustee of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
She said: “James recognised the benefits of screening and was an avid campaigner for the cause.
“It is fantastic to see how many lives have already been saved because of it. It is only right that everyone in the UK has the same opportunity, so families don’t have to go through what we have.”
An average of 1,360 people are diagnosed with and 1,032 people die from lung cancer in NI each year. This makes lung cancer the deadliest cancer in Northern Ireland, responsible for over a fifth (22.9%) of all deaths from cancer each year per the latest NI Cancer Registry Data across all tumour sites. One reason lung cancer is so deadly is because it is often caught very late: only 19% of cases are caught at Stage I, when five-year survival is 52%, compared to 44% of cases being caught at Stave IV, when five-year survival is 2%. In part, this is because lung cancer often does not have symptoms until the later stages. Importantly, while not smoking (or stopping to smoke) is one of the best ways to reduce your lung cancer risk, lung cancer does not only affect smokers – anyone can face a diagnosis.
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland offers a range of cancer prevention and support services, to help patients and loved ones impacted by lung and other cancers. These include the charity’s Nurseline, counselling, and patient driving services. The charity also offers a stop smoking service to reduce cancer risks. Learn more about these services at https://cancerfocusni.org/ or email policy@cancerfocusni.org to join the campaign for lung screening.
