Dean of Hull York Medical School to lead cancer awareness campaign

25 January 2017
Una cancer awareness

Professor Una Macleod, Dean of Hull York Medical School

Yorkshire Cancer Research will invest £712,501 in a new community health campaign led by Professor Una Macleod, Dean of the Hull York Medical School, which will focus on raising awareness of lung cancer symptoms in the area and encouraging smokers and ex-smokers to attend lung health checks.

 
Hull has one of the highest smoking rates in the country, with an estimated 54,510 smokers living in the city. 86% of lung cancers are caused by smoking, and the number of people dying from lung cancer in Hull is three times the number dying from any other cancer.
 
Two thirds of lung cancer patients in Hull are diagnosed at a late stage, when it can be more difficult to treat. Only one in five people diagnosed with the most advanced stage of lung cancer will survive one year after their diagnosis.
 
The team will also work with GP practices in the area to make it easier for people to get appointments and referrals for chest x-rays if they experience potential lung cancer symptoms.

Professor Macleod said: “Hull is the third most deprived area in England and has the third highest smoking rate. Negative views and fears about cancer tend to be more common in deprived areas, and smokers who are at high risk of lung cancer can also be less aware of potential symptoms than non-smokers and are less likely to seek help.
 

Our aim is to improve the earlier diagnosis of lung cancer by getting people to see their doctor when they notice lung cancer symptoms, and by getting GPs to see and refer them sooner. If fewer people were diagnosed at an advanced stage, many lives could be saved. As a University, we are committed to helping transform healthcare provision in our region. Through pioneering research like this we will be able to improve the way our hospitals and GPs work as well as having an impact for patients and their families.

Dr Kathryn Scott, Interim Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “We are extremely excited to announce this significant investment in Hull’s cancer problems. This project is the result of an extensive process, involving expert advice from the country’s very best researchers, to determine how the charity can have the biggest possible impact on cancer survival rates in Yorkshire. We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters for making this investment possible.”

Read the full article on the Yorkshire Cancer Research website