Date posted:
Thu 26 March 2020
Lung cancer is one of the major causes of death for people in Merseyside and Cheshire, and now world-class experts have come together to help GPs in the region step up their battle against it.
Thoracic Oncology experts from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital took part in an event in Wirral organised by the private clinics of both facilities, aimed at GPs in the region.
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK with more than 40,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year. Eight out of 10 lung cancers are caused by smoking and it is also one of the most common cancers in the Merseyside and Cheshire regions.
Swift diagnosis and treatment are critical to survival rates and GPs play a vital role in both early detection and the ongoing support of patients diagnosed with the disease.
Specialists at both Clatterbridge Private Clinic and The Rowan Suite at Liverpool Heart and Chest are taking a pro-active approach to tackle the disease in the region. They believe offering GPs access to the latest knowledge and forging two-way relationships is of immense benefit to a patient’s cancer pathway.
The event, held at Thornton Hall, saw four expert speakers address GPs from across Merseyside and Cheshire. There were two from Clatterbridge Private Clinic and two from Liverpool Heart and Chest’s Rowan Suite:
· Dr. Richard Griffiths is a medical oncologist based at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. He specialises in the management of renal and thoracic malignancies with an active research interest in the diseases. He has been a principal investigator for more than 20 medical trials. He is also the clinical lead for the Wirral University Teaching Hospital Acute Oncology service based at Arrowe Park Hospital.
· Dr. Kamlesh Mohan is a Consultant Respiratory Physician at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. He trained in Mersey Deanery and carried out research in Lung Cancer and Cystic Fibrosis Related diabetes. He was appointed as a consultant in 2009 and developed Knowsley Community COPD Service. He later developed interventional bronchoscopy in Liverpool.
· Dr. Tony Pope graduated from Barts and the London and gained his post as consultant thoracic clinical oncologist at the Clatterbridge cancer centre in 2014. He is the clinical lead for Lung SABR covering the Merseyside and North Wales area. He is active in research and acts as principal investigator in many ongoing and historical lung cancer-based trials. His main interests lie around the management of lung cancer and mesothelioma.
· Michael Shackcloth is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, one of the biggest Thoracic Surgical Units in the UK. His specialist interests include thoracic malignancies, minimally invasive thoracic surgery including robotic thoracic surgery, and surgery for emphysema.
Jacqui McElhinney, Clinic Manager at Clatterbridge Private Clinic, who helped to organise the conference, said: “Lung cancer is an aggressive disease but with early detection and treatment there is a lot we can do for patients.
“Modern medicine works best when it is collaborative. When all the clinicians involved in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer that is when we see the best outcomes for people.
“We brought together four of the UK’s leading experts in Thoracic Oncology in one room for the event held for GPs who went back to their surgeries armed with the very latest knowledge about the treatment of lung cancer. That will benefit their patients enormously.”
Clatterbridge Private Clinic is part of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and was launched in 2013.
We work together to combine the highest levels of consultant-led care and patient choice with the most advanced knowledge and understanding of the disease and its forms. All staff at the clinic are dedicated to providing outstanding cancer care every day.