Co Armagh man battling lung cancer calls for early screening: ‘It could have made a difference for me’

Gerard Greene said it can help save more lives.

Around 1,400 more patients in the region could be diagnosed at the early stage — when it is easier to treat — over the next decade if targeted-screening was introduced, according to Cancer Research UK.

With lung checks already being rolled out in England, there are currently no confirmed plans for an equivalent initiative in Northern Ireland, where around 890 people are diagnosed at a later stage (stages 3 and 4) out of around 1,300 people diagnosed with lung cancer every year.

Mr Greene (75), from Craigavon, previously smoked 20 cigarettes a day up until 15 years ago and has been battling the disease for the past two years.

He had been unwell for several months before he went to see his GP and was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in March 2021.

The tumour was inoperable, but Mr Greene received four rounds of chemotherapy, 10 sessions of radiotherapy and is currently being treated with immunotherapy.

Mr Greene, a father of eight, grandfather to 22 and great-grandfather to 16, said that he is grateful for the treatment he has received to date, which has stopped his tumour growing and allowed him to lead a good quality of life.

“To me it is simple, screening will save lives,” said the retired bricklayer.

“I don’t know if in my case it would have made a difference, but it could have. I was told my tumour was inoperable, if it had been picked up earlier with screening, then who knows what the doctors could have done.

“I feel blessed that the treatment is keeping it under control, and I have a good quality of life, but for others who aren’t so fortunate, screening might have made the difference.

“If the government believes it will make a difference to people in England, then people here in Northern Ireland should have the same chance.”

The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that all UK nations move towards implementing lung cancer screening to target those most at risk of developing lung cancer — people aged between 55 and 74 who either smoke or used to smoke.

Cancer screening programmes can help reduce deaths by diagnosing cancers early or preventing them from developing in the first place.

In the first phase of the scheme in England, more than 2,000 people were detected as having lung cancer. Some 76% of those lung cancers were caught in their earlier stages, compared to 29% of the lung cancers detected outside of the programme.

Barbara Roulston from Cancer Research said: “Lung cancer is a tragedy for Northern Ireland and is devastating families, some of those who live among our poorest communities. The introduction of a targeted lung cancer screening programme is a real chance to change that.”