Today [Wednesday 15th November], we are co-hosting with MSD a parliamentary awareness event at Westminster and delivering a very important message:
Our chief executive, Paula Chadwick, will be addressing MPs and asking them to pledge their support for lung cancer, increase early detections and improve lung cancer care within their constituencies.
Here’s some snippets from Paula’s speech…
“I have been at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation for over 25 years, and I can honestly say this year has been one, if not, the most impactful year in our history.
“On 26th June, a national targeted screening programme for lung cancer was finally given the green light and is now being gradually implemented across the country, with full rollout set for 2028.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation has been at the forefront of screening for decades, long before any other charity was interested in lung cancer, and it is our commitment and research funding which has formed the basis of screening today.
“But we are here today to share an important message. Screening is momentous, but it does not solve the problem. Lung cancer is not fixed now screening exists. We must push early diagnosis beyond screening.
“If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. Everyone deserves a fast path to diagnosis.
“When we catch lung cancer early, doctors can treat it with curative intent. For many with very early-stage disease, surgeons can remove the tumour with keyhole surgery. They often avoid chemotherapy and other follow up treatment.
“We have also seen major advances for later stage disease. Doctors now offer multiple targeted treatments for genetic mutation-driven lung cancers. Patients are also responding well to immunotherapy and combination treatment options.”
However, not all patients are being given the option for these new treatments. In fact, there is a significant discrepancy in testing for these mutations.
“A biomarker test checks cancer cells for important genetic changes, or mutations. Testing lung cancer in this way is a vital early step in making sure a person starts on the best treatment plan for their specific type of lung cancer.
Patient experiences
“Approximately, half of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer have at least one mutation that has a targeted treatment option.
A Patient Experience Survey by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation as secretariat, found that about one third of patients were either not offered a biomarker test or weren’t sure if they had been offered one.
Sadly, early detection is not always possible. But even when lung cancer is not curable, it can still be treated. Many patients with stage 4, metastatic lung cancer have passed the five-year milestone thanks to these treatments.
One example is Spike Elliott. Doctors initially gave him a six to twelve-month prognosis. He was tested for genetic mutations and is now approaching five years with no evidence of disease.
Let me ask – Do you know if your local Integrated Care Systems and Cancer Alliances are ensuring all lung cancer patients are undergoing these potentially life-lengthening tests? And if they are being done, how long are patients having to wait for results? How long are people and families being forced to wait until they can have treatment?
“We understand that, in some cases, patients are waiting up to eight weeks for these results.
Our charity
“For us at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, we have three primary focuses which we need your support:
- We must ensure that those eligible for screening take up the opportunity.
- We must get people with symptoms on the right path quickly, regardless of age, gender, or lifestyle. This may mean using routes that bypass primary care, such as the self-referral to x-ray pilots in Greater Manchester or the community pharmacy referral service currently being trialled for lung symptoms.
- And, for those who receive a diagnosis, we must ensure they undergo all the relevant tests in a timing manner in order to start on the best treatment plan for them, the treatment plan that gives them the best chance to live through lung cancer than die prematurely of it.
“As our Be Unforgettable campaign says, forget everything you think you know about lung cancer. All you need to know is this:
“Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer but together, we can change that.”