MP To Fight To Bring Lung Cancer Out Of The Political Shadow
Robert Syms MP visits the state-of-the-art equipment at Poole Hospital. L-R:
Dr Stephen Kirkham, Robert Syms MP, Dr Virginia Laurence, Ted Proctor, Dr
Mark Allenby, Sue Whitney
Local Conservative MP, Robert Syms, heard that lung cancer survival rates in Dorset could be doubled in the next ten years, when he visited the state of the art facilities at Poole Hospital today (Friday 30 November), during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. More than 450 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year in the Dorset area.1
Mr Syms visited Poole Hospital on behalf of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC). The UKLCC is a powerful partnership of leading lung cancer experts, healthcare companies and charities. Mr Syms is working with the UKLCC to raise awareness of the disease - still the UK’s biggest killer cancer.2
Mr Syms toured the cancer services at the hospital and met with the team that support lung cancer patients, including doctors, nurses, radiographers and researchers.
He commented: “We can’t underestimate the scale of the challenge with lung cancer. Although we’re making progress in prevention by reducing smoking rates, we’re still going to see many more cases coming through.
“Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November is a chance to challenge the stigma surrounding the disease and raise awareness of its symptoms. The doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals I’ve talked to today have given me great cause for hope that more can be done.”
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, and claims the lives of 33,000 Britons every year.2 Survival rates remain low, and sadly less than half of all patients with the disease are alive six months after diagnosis.3
Mr Syms added: “It’s important that people know that their chances of surviving lung cancer are greatly improved if it can be caught early. I’d urge my constituents to make sure they go to their GP if they are worried they may have symptoms.”
Dr Virginia Laurence, Consultant in Clinical Oncology at Poole Hospital and a partner of the UKLCC said: “Lung cancer can be treated, with greater success, if we can catch it early enough.
“The UKLCC’s new Lung Cancer Plan calls for 12 points of action to tackle poor survival rates. This includes greater funding of research, improving awareness of signs and symptoms, earlier diagnosis, and ensuring all patients, wherever they live, have access to a full range of lung cancer specialists and professionals.”
The UKLCC is setting the government an ambitious, but achievable challenge: to double one-year survival by 2010 and five-year survival by 2015 for patients diagnosed with lung cancer.
“We know if we apply the best standards of care already being demonstrated in some parts of the country, this target could be achieved,” added Dr Laurence.
For further information visit: www.uklcc.org.uk
Date: 30 November 2007
References:
- 1 Mortality numbers supplied by NWCIS, 2007
2 http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/mortality/
3 Cancer Research UK Statistics Dept