We couldn’t let yesterday’s announcement of lung cancer screening go by without hearing from the man who set the wheels in motion. The man who made lung cancer a priority when no one else would. The man who cared so deeply about those affected by lung cancer he demanded change.
What our founder had to say
Our charity founder, Professor Ray Donnelly MBE, shares his thoughts on yesterday announcement of a national targeted screening programme for lung cancer and what it took to get here.
A major milestone
This is a truly momentous day. The government has announced national lung cancer screening.
This news will help the people we exist to support – those with lung cancer and everyone who loves them.
The charity’s long journey
I started the charity in 1990 with one clear goal: launch a lung cancer screening and early detection programme.
Within two years, we gave a major grant to the University of Liverpool to start the Liverpool Lung Project.
Over time, we invested millions of pounds in that project, long before other cancer charities took lung cancer seriously.
The project produced strong results and led to two pilot studies across the UK. Those pilots brought forward many early stage diagnoses.
That success pushed screening into ten centres across the country. Again, we saw high success rates, with more cancers found in stage one and two when people can often be cured.
Looking ahead
Now, national screening is happening. It will boost survival rates for lung cancer, which have been poor for decades.
This is a major step forward. It means many more people will be diagnosed in stage one and two, when treatment can cure them.
That is something worth celebrating.