£6.5 million investment in lung cancer diagnosis in Yorkshire
Yorkshire Cancer Research has revealed plans to invest £6.5m in new initiatives that will improve lung cancer outcomes and increase early diagnosis.
Yorkshire Cancer Research has revealed plans to invest £6.5m in new initiatives that will improve lung cancer outcomes and increase early diagnosis.
The investment follows expert workshops held in January to help determine the charity’s funding priorities for 2016.
The workshops were attended by more than 100 influential and experienced leaders in early diagnosis, which is key to improving survival, and lung cancer, the region’s leading cause of cancer-related death.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Yorkshire, with around 4,500 people diagnosed with the disease every year. 15 of 21 CCGs in Yorkshire had incidence rates higher than the national average in 2013. This differs from the national picture, where lung cancer is the third most common behind breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Around 67% of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage in Yorkshire, when the tumour may have grown or spread to other tissues or organs.
Rates of diagnosis at stages 3 and 4 in Yorkshire are also higher than the national average for other cancers, including breast, colorectal, and prostate.
When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment options and chances of full recovery are greater. It is estimated that around 95% of men diagnosed with bowel cancer at the earliest stage of disease survive at least five years compared with around 7% of those diagnosed with the most advanced stage of disease.
Screening rates for bowel, cervical and breast cancer in some areas of Yorkshire are very low and can vary dramatically from one GP practice to another.
Screening involves testing the general population, most of whom will not have any cancer symptoms. Cancers that are diagnosed through screening are more likely to be early stage cancers, compared to cancers that are found through other routes such as referral from a GP or emergency presentations. For all cancers detected through screening 56% are found at Stage 1 while just 2% are found at Stage 4.
The investment will mark the first stage of the charity’s new strategy to ensure 2,000 more people in the region survive cancer every year by 2025. Successful projects will be announced in January 2017.
Charles Rowett, Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce yet another significant investment in improving the diagnosis, treatment and care of people living in our region. This is only possible thanks to the continued support of people living in Yorkshire.
“Together, we can start having a real impact on cancer outcomes by finding practical solutions to our region’s problems and by working in the heart of our communities.”