Page 3 - Inspire_SpringSummer_DigitalEdition
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Welcome

Welcome

FROM PAULA CHADWICK, CEO

Dear all,                               Within this edition, you’ll hear from  suitable patient for osimertinib – a
                                        two incredible people – Gaynor         targeted therapy now made available
Welcome to the Spring/                  (page 16) and Terry (page 6) – both    on the NHS for treating locally
Summer 2017 edition of                  of whom had their lung cancer          advanced or metastatic EGFR
Inspire.                                caught early, were suitable for        T790M mutation-positive non-small-
                                        surgery and had the tumours suc-       cell lung cancer.
2017 is a particularly important        cessfully removed.
year for us; this is the year we                                               Prior to the availability of
launch our Lung Health MOT              “ Lung cancer screening                osimertinib, the next step after
Check (page 4).                                   saves lives. Early           conventional treatments for Tom,
                                               detection saves lives.          and many patients in a similar
One of the primary reasons why                It saved Gaynor’s life.          situation, would be palliative care.
lung cancer survival rates are not in              It saved Terry’s.           He now has another option and
line with many other cancers is                Without it, they were           with it, a great deal more hope.
because the majority of cases are             both given just months
diagnosed too late.                      ”to live. Now we need to              For more information about
                                                  save more lives.             targeted therapies and all other
This is no one’s fault; lung cancer is                                         treatment options, please visit our
difficult to detect, with symptoms      Our Lung Health MOT Check is           website www.roycastle.org or call
often only surfacing once the cancer    not the only project we’re funding     our nurse-led helpline free on
is at an advanced stage.This means      this year.We know that we can only     0800 358 7200.
we have to find ways to detect lung     beat this disease by increasing our
cancer earlier. And that is what        knowledge – of how it works, how       We can do all this because of you.
we’re doing…                            it spreads, and how we can treat it.   Thank you never quite covers it
                                                                               – but we DO thank you, from the
Working with Nottingham City            That’s why we back vital research      bottom of our hearts, because,
Clinical Commissioning Group            projects (page 19).That’s why          with your help, one day, we WILL
(CCG) and local MP, Graham Allen,       we choose to support the kind of       beat this disease.
we are funding a Lung Health            projects other funding bodies tend
MOT CheckThe aim of the project         to avoid: the ones that ask tough,     Paula Chadwick
is to identify potential lung cancer    awkward, fundamental questions.           Chief Executive
patients before any symptoms            The ones that might not necessarily
appear.                                 spark an immediate breakthrough –
                                        but which will add little bits, piece
Part of the money we raised last        by piece, to the sum total of
year has paid for the initial stage of  knowledge scientists need to tackle
the project, which launched in          lung cancer.
January.
                                        There have also been breakthroughs
This is money from you – from           in new treatments available to lung
sponsorship you collected, from         cancer patients including
direct debits you’ve set up, from       immunotherapies and targeted
bake sales, race nights, garden         therapies.
parties and all the other imaginative
ways you support our charity.           Inspire spoke to patient Tom
                                        Simpson (page 12) who may be a

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