Brokenshire: we need a national lung cancer screening programme

The MP stood down from his role as Northern Ireland secretary in January to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.

Since returning to Parliament in February, he has been talking to lung cancer charities and other health experts on steps to improve life chances for those diagnosed with the disease.

Mr Brokenshire used a debate in Parliament on Thursday to call for a national programme to improve poor survival rates, telling MPs that trusting his instincts and receiving an early diagnosis saved his life.

Speaking ahead of it, he said: “Half of us will get cancer and it can strike you when you least expect.

“I was lucky because my cancer was caught early and I can look to the future positively. But too often that doesn’t happen.”

Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer and outcomes continue to be poor – mainly because it is detected and diagnosed too late when curative treatment is not an option.

It kills 36,000 people every year – more than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined.

Mr Brokenshire, 50, was prompted to see his GP after a single incident when he coughed up a small amount of blood.

He said much stigma surrounds lung cancer, with many people incorrectly believing it is only caused by smoking.

Around 46,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, making it the third most common cancer.

Of this number around 15% will be in non-smokers like Mr Brokenshire.

He went on: “I trusted my instincts because deep down I knew something really wasn’t right.

“I didn’t delay in going to see my GP, trusted his advice in seeing a consultant and followed things through.

“At each stage I could have left it – too busy with work, too busy with Brexit, too busy with the political talks in Northern Ireland. But I didn’t and it saved my life.

“Too often people find out they have lung cancer too late for effective treatment and that’s what we need to change.”

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – the only UK charity dedicated solely to lung cancer – said pilot studies have shown that scans can pick up lung cancer at an early stage when there is still time for it to be cured.

When a person is diagnosed at an early stage, they have up to a 73% chance of surviving for five years or more. The current five-year survival rate for lung cancer is just 10%.

She said: “James’s early diagnosis, curative treatment and positive recovery are inspirational and we are delighted he has chosen to become so involved in the fight against lung cancer.

“It’s good to have a strong ally standing with us, shoulder to shoulder with the patients whose voice we represent. For their sake, it’s high time that lung cancer was firmly on the public health agenda.

“James’ call echoes our own Let’s Roll campaign in urging the introduction of a nationwide programme.”