new £1.3 million study in Manchester is aiming to tackle health inequalities by exploring ways to improve early lung cancer detection for people with severe mental illness and intellectual disabilities.
The project, funded by Cancer Research UK, is backed by lung cancer survivor Julie Colville, 70, from Withington, who spent her 25-year mental health career supporting these patients across Greater Manchester.
Julie received her own shock diagnosis shortly after retiring, when a persistent cough led to tests that revealed a mass on her right lung. She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and is now marking ten years cancer free.
As well as championing the new study, Julie is backing a drive from Cancer Research UK to help fund more life-saving advances like this, which people can support at cruk.org/breakthroughs.
For Julie, this research represents the kind of change she’s been hoping to see since her own diagnosis.
“Throughout my career, I worked with people who often struggled to get the same healthcare as others due to their complex needs,” she said. “Having been through cancer myself, I see just how critical it is that no one misses out on a chance that could save their life. I hope this work this will bring equality for people who can’t always access health checks in the same way as the general population. The reasons for this are many and complex. We just want to see changes that mean no one is left behind because of their mental health or intellectual status. Everyone deserves the same chance to get equal access to assessment to receive timely diagnoses and treatment in order to have a fair chance of surviving cancer.”
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
People with severe mental illness or intellectual disabilities die 15 to 20 years earlier on average than those without these conditions and face higher rates of lung cancer mortality – often due to late diagnosis, barriers to accessing healthcare, and the effects of stigma.
Researchers say there is an urgent need to close this deadly gap.
The six-year project led by Dr Lorna McWilliams at The University of Manchester aims to improve access to England’s national lung cancer screening programme.
Dr McWilliams’ team will work directly with people affected by mental illness and intellectual disabilities, alongside carers, clinicians, and policymakers, to co-design practical solutions. These will look to include clearer information, better support to help people make informed choices about screening, and ways to reduce anxiety around investigations and treatment.
The study will also analyse screening data from nearly 200,000 people to identify who is being invited, who attends, and who benefits – mapping inequalities an generating evidence-based recommendations that will inform national policy.
Dr McWilliams said: “There is an urgent need to address inequities in lung cancer screening. Our aim is that by the end of the project, co-designed interventions will be ready to implement nationally, ensuring people with learning disabilities and mental illness are supported to take part in screening and fully included in decisions about their care. Early detection must be available to everyone, no matter their circumstances.”
Latest figures reveal that around an estimated 865,000 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the North West over the next 15 years* and, by 2040, it’s projected one person in the UK will be diagnosed with the disease every two minutes.** In the 1970s, it was every four minutes.***
Julie added: “The statistics say it all and that’s why we must act now. Cancer Research UK has given hope to thousands of people like me. But advances in research wouldn’t be possible without vital funds to keep the charity’s scientists working towards more ‘Eureka!’ moments. So, I hope people across Manchester will give what they can. To save lives tomorrow, Cancer Research UK needs our support today.”
Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, Cancer Research UK has helped double cancer survival in the UK over the past 50 years.
The charity’s spokesperson for the North West Jemma Humphreys said: “Pioneering research like this is helping to change the future for people affected by cancer. But with an ageing population, and cancer cases on the rise, the need to accelerate progress is clear. With new technologies opening doors to new discoveries, we’re living in a golden age of research. But with nearly 1 in 2 people set to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime,**** there’s so much more to do.
“Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest charitable funder of cancer research. More support right now could fuel faster progress than ever before and help more people live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer. Together, we can power the next wave of breakthroughs.”
