After losing both her beloved Grandma Pat and her Emmerdale co-star and close friend Leah Bracknell to lung cancer, actress Lisa Riley is the face of a new campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease. Nearly 40,000 people are diagnosed in England alone each year – and lung cancer remains the UK’s deadliest cancer, claiming more lives than any other type. It is also the biggest cause of cancer deaths among British women, causing substantially more deaths than breast cancer. Yet despite preconceptions, lung cancer is not simply a disease of smokers. Almost one in 10 people diagnosed with the disease have never smoked.
The Don’t Delay – Every Breath Matters campaign launches this week as a new study reveals widespread confusion and stigma around causes. Commissioned by specialist cancer-care provider GenesisCare, the research shows that 70% of people are unaware of all the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, while almost half don’t know that those who have never smoked can still develop the disease. Among people who have experienced symptoms that could indicate lung cancer, 57% admit they have delayed seeking medical advice.
For Lisa, 50, who plays Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, the campaign is deeply personal. Back in 2002, her grandmother dismissed symptoms as “just a smoker’s cough”, and delayed seeking help until it was too late. Lisa also lost Leah to the disease in 2019 aged just 55. She was diagnosed with lung cancer despite having never smoked. Leah, a trained yoga teacher as well as a successful TV actress who played Zoe Tate on the soap opera set in the Yorkshire Dales, experienced breathlessness so severe she found it difficult to use the stairs.
Her symptoms developed quickly and her diagnosis came after she was rushed to hospital with a heart problem – subsequently found to be a side effect of her lung cancer. “Lung cancer has taken away two very special women in my life,” says Lisa. “Watching my grandmother’s rapid deterioration from her lung cancer diagnosis to her passing away was an extremely challenging time. She was always my biggest support through drama school and my career, and I just wish it had been caught sooner.
“Leah was one of the healthiest people I knew. I remember the whole cast and I being totally shell-shocked when we heard the news she had lung cancer. The fact she was a non-smoker and a yoga teacher who valued the power of breathwork so much meant lung cancer was the last thing we’d have expected for her. It was such an eye-opener that lung cancer really can affect anyone. That’s why this campaign is so important – we all need to be aware of the signs and symptoms and be aware lung cancer is a disease that can affect anyone.”
Lisa adds: “I’m passionate about getting rid of the stigma associated with having lung cancer. We need to make it easier for people, regardless of whether they’ve ever smoked or not, to recognise when something isn’t right, speak to their doctor and get the right support and treatment as quickly as possible.
“Of the 40,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer in England each year, one in 10 have never smoked – many more people need to be aware of this. I also didn’t realise that lung cancer is more common in female non-smokers than in male non-smokers. If more people recognise the symptoms and seek help sooner, outcomes can be improved.”
Lisa continues: “I’m really passionate about getting rid of the stigma associated with having lung cancer. We need to make it easier for people, regardless of whether they’ve ever smoked or not, to recognise when something isn’t right, speak to their doctor and get the right support and treatment as quicklyas possible.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that I used to smoke many, many years ago, but like I said before, I won’t be afraid to go to the GP because of that – there should be no stigma around it. And anyway, there’s a chance it could affect me even if I’d never smoked a cigarette in my life.
“I genuinely am so grateful for the learning curve I’ve been given doing this lung-cancer awareness campaign with GenesisCare because with my gene pool, with cancer on both sides of my family, this is stuff I need to know. It’s all been a real eye-opener which is so important, because as juvenile and as full of beans as I am, I am alsovery aware that I need to keep upping my health knowledge as I’m not gettingany younger.”
The campaign launches alongside a Lung Cancer Rapid Response Pathway which will be available at a new specialist cancer centre launching in Leeds, set to revolutionise lung cancer care in the UK. The service will transform the speed of access and coordination of care and help patients reach a diagnosis and treatment plan as quickly as possible.
The case for reducing delays is highlighted by research showing that reducing the time taken to diagnose lung cancer from 29 days to 15 days was associated with an increase in post-treatment median survival from 312 days to 503 days. The research does not mean every individual patient will gain six months from a faster diagnosis, but it underlines the importance of reducing avoidable delays.
Dr Kevin Franks, consultant clinical oncologist at GenesisCare, says: “The new GenesisCare centre in Leeds will give people with lung cancer greater certainty, faster decisions and earlier access to the treatment that is right for them. We’re building a pathway designed around the patient, bringing these different elements together and giving our clinical team real-time visibility of what is happening. Our new Lung Cancer Rapid Response Pathway will ensure patients are provided with a diagnosis and treatment plan in the most efficient timeframe possible.”
Anyone experiencing symptoms such as a persistent cough, unexplained breathlessness, chest pain, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss or ongoing fatigue should seek medical advice. For more information on GenesisCare UK, visit genesiscare.com/uk
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
