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WORLD LUNG CANCER EXPERT CALLS FOR MORE RESEARCH FUNDING
PROFESSOR STEPHEN
SPIRO, President of the British Thoracic Society, has condemned the lack of government awareness and funding for research into lung cancer, the biggest cancer killer in the UK.
Speaking at the Liverpool headquarters of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation2, the
world renowned lung cancer expert told its fourth Annual Patient Meeting on last week.
"I feel very strongly about the lack of funding for lung cancer research. More people die in this country through lung cancer than any other cancer yet we really do have a problem in getting a profile. It is a political issue of trying to make government understand how many people get this cancer."
Tom Haswell, a founding member of the Roy Castle Patient Support Group in Glasgow, told the meeting, attended by more than 80 lung cancer patients and their
carers. "Millions of pounds are poured into cancer research but only about £4 million goes into research into lung cancer and about a quarter of that is raised by The Roy Castle Foundation.
The general public has a very negative attitude towards money for lung cancer research. They think 'why bother, they're going to die anyway'. This attitude has to be addressed."
Professor Spiro also told the meeting that the government was failing to confront the case for a national screening programme.
"Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in man in the western world and virtually on a level with breast cancer yet it gets a fraction of the recognition.
This disease is a huge healthcare burden in the UK and yet we do not do screening and we do not know how much it will cost to save one life. We do not think the government wants to face it."
Professor Spiro said that government funding for studies to establish how many lives could be saved through screening had been refused, yet it was known that the earlier lung cancer was diagnosed, the better the outcome for the patient.
"Why shouldn't we have screening for lung cancer?
We diagnose it incredibly late but patients do better if you diagnose early, before they have symptoms."
Professor Spiro added that there was no substitute for smoking cessation 3, which was the most effective method of prevention of lung cancer.
More than 20 specialist lung cancer nurses, who lead a nation-wide network of Roy Castle Patient Support Groups, also held their own simultaneous conference yesterday at the Foundation's headquarters.
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Local runner's great north success for Macmillan
ICELAND colleague, Sue Jackson from Oxton, Wirral, made it across the finishing line of the 2004 Bupa Great North Run; helping to raise vital funds for Iceland's chosen charity of the year, Macmillan Cancer Relief.
Sue joined approximately 700 other Team Macmillan runners to complete the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields in an impressive two hours and 50 minutes.
Sue said:- "It has been an incredible experience. Crossing the finish line, surrounded by hundreds of cheering well-wishers definitely made me feel all the hard work had been worth it. I'd like to thank all my friends, family and work colleagues who supported me. I couldn't have done it without them!"
Colleagues from Iceland, part of the Big Food Group, voted Macmillan Cancer Relief as their chosen charity of the year in 2004. The Great North Run is just one of many fundraising events the company's colleagues are getting involved in to help raise a total of £500,000 across the group.
Great success after Dune FM DJ opens local Trust Job Shop
NEARLY 200 people visited the two NHS Job Shops held in Southport and Skelmersdale on 22 & 23 September. A number of them have already signed up at Southport and Skelmersdale Colleges to do Level 2 Health Care Assistant courses.
Sheelagh Windrum, Employment Co-ordinator for Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust said:- "We were extremely pleased with the number of people who came to talk to us about possible careers in the NHS. We saw a lot of people who were interested in becoming health care assistants (the modern day auxiliary nurse) but also people were interested in the technical roles such as operating department practitioners. A number of people have already signed up to do NVQ courses and hopefully these will lead on to jobs in the Trust."
The Job Shop at Southport was opened by Dune FM DJ John Cooper, who decided to swap his turntables for operating tables for the day by dressing up as an operating department practitioner.
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