To mark the start of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has joined forces with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and NHS England to bring a Let’s Talk Lung Cancer roadshow to Hull.
Giant inflatable lungs that will be in St Stephen’s
On Wednesday, 1st November 2023, a giant pair of inflatable lungs will arrive at St Stephen’s shopping centre to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms and start much-need conversations around the disease.
The event comes after a recent survey of over 2,000 adults in England found that just two in five respondents (41%) would visit their GP if they had a cough for three weeks or more, which could be a sign of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Humber and North Yorkshire and the roadshow aims to improve local understanding and awareness of the disease. People visiting the roadshow will be able to learn about the potential symptoms and risk factors beyond smoking, as well as how to improve their general lung health and reduce their risk of the disease.
Dr Dan Cottingham, Cancer Research UK GP Lead for Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, said: “It is great to welcome the Let’s Talk Cancer roadshow to Hull as it starts a tour across the country.
“People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late, so it is important to ensure people know what signs to look out for and to encourage anyone experiencing symptoms of lung cancer to contact their GP without delay.
“The main symptoms of lung cancer include a cough that doesn’t go away after three weeks, chest infections that keep coming back, coughing up blood, an ache or pain when breathing or coughing, persistent breathlessness, persistent tiredness or lack of energy and/or loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.
“This new roadshow comes alongside the continued roll out of NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks across Humber and North Yorkshire. The service, which is currently operating in Hull and parts of North East Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, will be available in all areas of Humber and North Yorkshire in the coming years.
“A lung health check can help to identify lung cancer and other respiratory diseases early, often before symptoms have occurred and when treatment could be simpler and more successful. I would urge anyone invited to take up the opportunity of a free lung health check – even if you feel fine.”
Chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Paula Chadwick, said: “It is staggering that half of those surveyed still do not know how prevalent lung cancer is. We believe this stems from a reluctance to talk about lung cancer, and that is largely because of its links to smoking and associated stigma.
Anyone wanting to know more about lung cancer is urged to speak to the team
“That’s why these events are so important. They give us the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations which people who may not realise they are at risk, who may not recognise potential symptoms or may feel unable to act on them, or too fearful to.
“If we can help one person in Hull get diagnosed earlier when lung cancer can often be treated with curative intent, then that is worth doing.”
The Let’s Talk Lung Cancer roadshow will be at St Stephen’s shopping centre in Hull on Wednesday, 1st November 2023 between 10am and 4pm. Anyone wanting to know more about lung cancer is urged to go down and speak to the team.
