Pair of giant inflatable lungs visit South Yorkshire lung cancer hotspots

A pair of giant inflatable lungs are visiting lung cancer hotspots Barnsley and Doncaster this week as part of a national campaign.

The Let's Talk Lung Cancer Roadshow – a tour of the world’s first walk-through lung exhibit - is coming to the Asda store on Gliwice Way, Doncaster, on Wednesday, November 9, and to Barnsley’s Alhambra Shopping Centre on Thursday, November 10.

People will be able to step inside the giant pair of 12 ft high x 15 ft inflatable lungs to learn more from health professionals about lung health, lung cancer, and the effects of smoking. The Roadshow, in conjunction with the Roy Castle Foundation, is travelling to 26 locations around the country as part of the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign. Community engagement teams and volunteers will be on hand to talk to members of the public and encourage those with suspected symptoms to visit their GP as soon as possible.

Nearly 200,000 people smoke in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw. More than half of those people will die prematurely from smoking-related illness, losing on average 10 years of life. The national average for adults who smoke is 13.9% - whereas in Doncaster the rate is 19.1%.

South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance is helping to trial targeted lung health checks to help find problems early and at a stage when treatment could be simpler and more successful - ultimately saving more lives. Doncaster is one of 10 pilot areas in the country with the pioneering programme starting in March 2021. It was extended to Bassetlaw in August, will begin in Rotherham later this month and in Barnsley in the New Year. 

Dr Jason Page, Clinical Director, South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Total Lung Health Check Programme LHC said: “We have just finished our first round of Targeted Lung Health Checks in Doncaster and have found over 160 people with cancer, including 119 lung cancers. The good news is that around three-quarters of those people with cancer have been found at an early, curative stage. 

“As well as finding cancer we are finding many other unknown lung (and other) conditions such as emphysema, allowing patients to access early treatment. We will be returning to Doncaster for a whole new round of checks in April 2023."

From now until March 2026, mobile scanning units will make their way across the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw area in a bid to help detect lung cancer earlier, as well as identifying other lung conditions.

In a new survey, less than two-thirds (57%) of the public recognised a cough for more than three weeks as a possible symptom of lung cancer and almost a quarter of respondents (24%) said they would do nothing or wait if they had this symptom. Only half (55%) said they would contact their GP if they had a cough for three weeks or more, despite this being a key symptom of lung cancer.

NHS National Cancer Director, Dame Cally Palmer, said: “A life-saving diagnosis can begin with a simple conversation, and the NHS is doing everything it can to bring lung cancer to the forefront of people’s minds. So if you have had a persistent cough for three weeks or more, feel aches or pains when breathing or coughing, or show any of the other symptoms of lung cancer, help us help you and please come forward for care.”

The rollout of the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign comes at a time when NHS teams are treating people for lung cancer at pre-pandemic levels.The number of people coming forward for lung checks is also now back at pre-pandemic levels, with over 10,000 referrals over the same two-month period, having been the slowest of all cancer types to recover.

Photo: TV doctor Dr Chris George with the giant inflatable lungs which will be in Barnsley and Doncaster this week.