Rapid lung cancer diagnosis offered to South Manchester patients

Lung cancer patients in Manchester will benefit from quicker diagnosis and quicker treatment

Patients suspected of having lung cancer in Manchester will get diagnosed within seven days during a pilot scheme at a hospital in Wythenshawe.

The complex tests and scans required for diagnosis mean the current UK government target is 31 days.

University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM) NHS Foundation Trust said it had the equipment and expertise on-site to reduce that to seven days.

The 15-month pilot aims to cut waiting times for treatment and reduce deaths.

Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK.

Fast-track referral

Suspected sufferers will undergo all the necessary tests at the hospital over 36 hours. Patients are then expected to begin treatment within two weeks of being referred by their GP.

The government target for lung cancer patients to receive treatment is currently 62 days.

Dr Matthew Evison, lead lung cancer clinician at UHSM, said: "We will aim to see people the day after they have been referred by their GP so we can fast-track them through the diagnostic process.

"It's not about any kind of revolutionary technology or procedures; it's simply about ensuring the right people and the right technology are in the right place at the right time."

More than 35,000 people died of lung cancer in the UK in 2012, according to Cancer Research UK

Quick diagnosis means quick treatment, he added.

The pilot could involve about 600 patients during 2016/17.

Dr Evison said: "Changing outcomes in lung cancer is one of the biggest challenges facing the NHS.

"Our view is that rapid pathways for diagnosis is an important part of the overall solution, alongside screening and prevention."

He said he hoped the pilot would be rolled out elsewhere across the UK.