A LUNG cancer checking programme that is said to have saved hundreds of lives in Cheshire and Merseyside is coming to Wirral.
The NHS checks have been finding lung problems, including cancer at its earliest stages when it is much easier to treat successfully, for several years in Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and south Sefton – and will roll out across the borough at the start of June.
The checks pinpoint those most at risk who are then offered a chest scan to rule out health problems or prompt more investigation or treatment.
People diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage are said to be nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose disease is found late.
The lung health checks will be offered to people on a rolling basis over the next two years across different parts of Wirral from May 31.
Owen McGrath is grateful he did not ignore his lung health check appointment as a scan found cancer growing in his left lung – and after treatment he is now cured.
The 71-year-old, who was given a scan through the Cheshire and Merseyside programme, said: "I'm just so glad I went for the check. I didn’t expect the scan to show anything at all, but I later got a call to say they had found something.
"It was a shock, but it meant I was then given more in-depth scans and tests before they confirmed that it was cancer. They told me on my birthday but, to be honest, I was just glad they had caught it!
"The treatment wasn’t too bad".
"The treatments they have now mean that you have a chance to get through it.
"I thought that the treatment itself would be hard on me, but I found it okay – and I'm still alive!"
Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, claiming the lives of more people than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers combined. It is a particular issue in parts of Cheshire and Merseyside, with local incidence significantly above the national average.
However, these simple lung checks can significantly improve survival rates by detecting cancer much earlier, even before symptoms appear. But for the checks to work, people need to attend their appointment – even if they feel well.
Dr Chris Warburton, lung health check clinical director of programme, said: "We are delighted that eligible people in Wirral will soon be able to have these checks.
"’We've seen the amazing impact of them since the programme was first launched in Liverpool a few years ago. Lung cancer can be difficult to detect early, which is why so many people are diagnosed when the disease has become incurable. But these checks are helping us to diagnose more people earlier, when cancer is far easier to treat.
"For the majority of those who attend, everything will be fine, but for those who do have something wrong, catching it early can make all the difference.
"Targeted Lung Health Checks are painless, quick, convenient and free of charge, so if you are given an appointment for one. Please do not ignore it.”
Owen McGrath added: "I would say to anyone who is offered a lung health check, just do it.
"Act on it immediately. You can’t ignore a free check-up – it could save your life!"
People invited to have the check will be sent an appointment in a text or letter for a telephone conversation with a lung health nurse and people considered to have a higher risk of lung cancer will be offered a low dose CT scan in a mobile unit.
For more information about the Targeted Lung Health Check programme, go to: https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/lung-health-check
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