A mobile health clinic will be arriving in Heywood to offer past and current smokers aged 55–74 a free Lung Health Check. From 2 April a clinic will be housed in a mobile unit at Heywood Sports Village, West Starkey Street, Heywood, offering the checks. It will operate 6 days a week (Monday to Saturday) from 8am to 8pm to ensure that appointments are accessible to everyone [...]

The finalists have been announced for the 2024 Greater Manchester Cancer Awards organised by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. The awards honour outstanding work to improve lives and treatment for people affected by cancer in Greater Manchester.   70 entries were received for this year’s Greater Manchester Cancer Awards across six categories. Entries came from teams in the NHS, research, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), [...]

A FORMER headteacher from Greater Manchester who is living with ovarian cancer wants more women to know the signs and symptoms of the cancer. Gill Broom, 62, originally from Bramhall, Stockport, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2020. Gill, who now lives in Clitheroe, is a volunteer with the Dianne Oxberry Trust - a charity focused on raising awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms [...]

A mobile health clinic will be arriving in central Wigan to offer past and current smokers aged 55–74 a free Lung Health Check later this month (March). A scanner and clinic will be housed in a mobile unit at Robin Park Leisure Centre and Arena, Loire Drive, Newtown, Wigan, WN5. It will operate 6 days a week (Monday to Saturday) from 8am to 8pm to ensure that [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is delighted to announce that our Workforce and Education Team has been shortlisted for the Digital Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2024 HSJ Digital Awards. The awards recognise innovative digital projects that transform care delivery, enhance efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. 343 entries have been received for this year’s Digital Awards, with 165 projects and individuals meriting inclusion on [...]

National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Day 2024 today (Friday 15 March 2024). To mark the day we spoke with Dawn Turner who is a Rapid Diagnostic Centre Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist at Tameside Macmillan Unit, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Trust.  Dawn first started her CNS career journey as an associate CNS in 2019 and then entered her current role in 2021. Dawn [...]

An exciting agenda has been announced for this year’s Greater Manchester Cancer Conference which takes place on 14 and 15 May 2024 at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate. Speakers will include Dame Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for NHS England, Dr Manisha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Greater Manchester, and Rob Bellingham Director of Primary Care and Strategic Commissioning, NHS Greater Manchester. Day one will [...]

Do you know a voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation (VCSE) that would like to help play a part in increasing early cancer diagnosis rates in underserved communities in Greater Manchester? The 10GM Cancer and Inequalities fund is offering grants of up to £5,000 for Greater Manchester-based VCSE organisations to deliver projects that will raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of cancer and [...]

David Jones-Stanley is a 49-year-old operations director who lives in Wigan. He has been with his husband James for 28 years and the pair have 3 boys – aged 19, 13 and 11. David, who volunteers as a patient representative for the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance was diagnosed with stage 3 food pipe (oesophageal) cancer in October 2021. He didn’t have a lot of the traditional symptoms like heartburn [...]

To support World Cancer Day and raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of stomach and gullet cancer (also known as upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer) in the City of Salford, a new campaign called Stop. Look. Listen… to Your Body has been launched. The campaign aims to educate Salford men over 40 about the importance of being persistent if they notice ongoing symptoms and to encourage them [...]

A legal secretary from Oldham is urging others to make sure they attend their cervical screening test as she prepares for cancer treatment. Laura Hope, 35, from Failsworth, went for her cervical screening appointment (also known as a smear test) at her GP practice in October last year. A few weeks later she got a letter informing her that the test had shown high-risk human papilloma virus [...]

BUS drivers in Greater Manchester have been stripping off to produce not one but two cheeky calendars for 2024! The naked calendars featuring Stagecoach Manchester staff will raise money to support breast cancer and prostate cancer charities. Staff hope they’ll also act as a year-long reminder for people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer and to get checked out if they notice something [...]

Past and current smokers in Leigh aged between 55–74 years old are being invited to have an NHS Lung Health Check in a drive to save more lives. A mobile health clinic has been stationed at Tesco in Hindley since mid-November where more than 3102 people have benefitted from a Lung Health Check. Now the service will be available at Tesco Extra in Leigh from Monday 22 [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance has recently signed up to the ‘Bee Seen, Get Screened’ pledge, in partnership with Answer Cancer, the Greater Manchester Screening Engagement Programme. This pledge guarantees that staff will be able to attend cancer screening appointments during work hours, if unable to get an appointment at a different time. Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is supporting Answer Cancer’s engagement strategy by raising [...]

The Greater Manchester Cancer Awards 2024 are now open for entries. The awards, brought to you by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, honour outstanding work to improve lives and treatment for people affected by cancer in Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Cancer Awards are now open for entry. They are open to teams in NHS, research, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), and [...]

Past and current smokers in parts of Wythenshawe aged between 55–74 years old are being invited to have an NHS Lung Health Check. The new checks are the latest phase of the Greater Manchester Targeted Lung Health Check Programme – a drive to help improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer and save more lives. The programme is jointly organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Manchester [...]

Over the coming weeks, hundreds of participants in Manchester and Trafford who enrolled on the NHS-Galleri trial in 2021 will be returning to mobile clinics for their last of three appointments for the trial. Participants will be asked to give a blood sample to help the NHS see if using the Galleri® blood test alongside existing cancer screening can help detect cancer early. Finding cancer early often [...]

The Greater Manchester Cancer Conference will be held on 14 and 15 May 2024 at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate. The event is organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. This year’s theme is Empowerment in Practice: Communities, Professionals and Researchers.  The Greater Manchester Cancer Conference will be held on 14 - 15 May 2024 The event will explore topics such as digital empowerment, [...]

Past and current smokers in Hindley in Wigan aged between 55–74 years old are being invited to have an NHS Lung Health Check. The new checks are the latest phase of the Greater Manchester Targeted Lung Health Check Programme - a drive to help improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer and save more lives. The programme is jointly organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance and Manchester [...]

Carina Doveaston, a business development manager, from Wigan, is sharing her experience to raise awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Carina, 36, from Lowton, Wigan, was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer – known as triple negative breast cancer - in January 2021. Carina Doveaston, a mum of one and business development manager, from Wigan The mum-of-one went to her [...]

Oldham mum of two nominated for special award by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance An Oldham mum-of-two has been nominated for a prestigious This Is Manchester Award by her colleagues at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. Jo Taylor, who is living with metastatic breast cancer – also known as secondary breast cancer - has been nominated for the Dianne Oxberry Special Impact Award. It marks her tireless work to [...]

Over the coming weeks, hundreds of participants in Oldham who enrolled on the NHS-Galleri trial in 2021 will be returning to mobile clinics for their last of three appointments for the trial. Participants will be asked to give a blood sample to help the NHS see if using the Galleri® blood test alongside existing cancer screening can help detect cancer early. Finding cancer early often means it [...]

People in Greater Manchester who have had a cough for three weeks or more are being encouraged to contact their GP practice and come forward for lifesaving checks as part of an NHS campaign. The ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign from NHS England uses TV, radio, online adverts and social media to increase knowledge of the main symptom of lung cancer. The ads feature people with a [...]

Mum-of-three Tracey is on a mission to help improve conversations about cancer after being treated for womb cancer. Tracey Jacques, 52, credits one small bit of knowledge with saving her life. The HR officer – who has recently finished treatment for womb cancer - went through the menopause at age 47 when her periods stopped. Tracey says women need to talk about their vaginas and [...]

A HALE business owner and mum-of-one has opened up about living with a rare blood cancer to help raise awareness during Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September. Faye Bala, 38, has been living with Essential Thrombocythaemia (ET) a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow since she was 16. But it’s only been in the last year that’s she’s started openly talking about this with her friends [...]

Over the coming months, thousands of participants in Greater Manchester who enrolled on the NHS-Galleri trial in 2021 will be returning to mobile clinics for their last of three appointments for the trial. Participants will be asked to give a blood sample to help the NHS see if using the Galleri® blood test alongside existing cancer screening can help detect cancer early. Finding cancer early often means it [...]

A new NHS mobile ‘clinic in a van’ is coming to Oldham so staff can talk to men about their risk of prostate cancer. The ThisVanCan roadshow is aimed at black men aged over 45 who are more at risk of developing prostate cancer than other men. 1 in 4 black men will develop prostate cancer. The van is also open to all other men and people with [...]

From today (Monday 21 August) Morrisons shoppers in Greater Manchester will find NHS advice on underwear labels urging them to contact their GP practice if they spot potential symptoms of breast or testicular cancer. The Nutmeg branded underwear featuring NHS advice will be in 240 Morrisons stores nationwide, including in nine stores in Greater Manchester. The labels will first appear in boxer shorts, followed by crop top bras in [...]

A father-of-two from Bolton discovered a lump in his neck that turned out to be throat cancer after shaving off his beard. Tex Leece, 50, of Farnworth, Bolton, who used to play semi pro football in his spare time and has completed 9 Ironman triathlon events, was known for being very fit and healthy. So when his wife, Jo, noticed a small lump in his neck, after he [...]

A ROCHDALE entrepreneur and mum-of-one who survived osteosarcoma - a type of bone cancer – now works to help others going through cancer. Maria Lawal, 29, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in February 2008 when she was 14 after discovering a lump in the femur bone of her left thigh. Maria who was a keen 150 metre sprinter and had competed in training for the youth Olympics, went to [...]

A POLICE OFFICER feared he might never run again after being diagnosed with two different types of cancer within just two months. John Haywood, from Bury, was devastated when he was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma on his ankle in September 2019. Then a month later came the bombshell that he also had Hodgkin lymphoma – a type blood cancer. The 49-year-old had two operations on his [...]

From the outside, the Targeted Lunch Health Check (TLHC) mobile unit looks like nondescript van parked outside your local supermarket. Inside, it is a sleek series of rooms, a pathway cleverly designed to lead you through a lung health check process that normally takes several hospital visits.  “I received one of those general letters to get my lungs checked,” said Andrew Potts, aged 60. “I’m a smoker. [...]

Hundreds of volunteers from Tameside will be invited to return to a mobile clinic over the coming weeks for their second appointment as part of the NHS-Galleri trial. Participants will be asked to give another blood sample to help investigate whether a multi-cancer blood screening test can help to detect cancer early before symptoms appear. Since the NHS-Galleri trial first arrived in Tameside in June 2022 [...]

Neville, from Stockport, is urging people to stay safe in the sun and protect themselves from skin cancer. Neville, from Stockport, was diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in September last year, and is urging people to stay safe in the sun and protect themselves from skin cancer. Grandfather-of-four Neville Jennings was a self-confessed sun worshipper before a shocking skin cancer diagnosis. [...]

A BURY man with a learning disability is supporting a campaign to urge others with similar conditions to use their Bowel Cancer Home Testing Kit. Each month, the NHS posts out more than half a million free Faecal Immunochemical Test kits (FIT) to people to use in the privacy of their homes. The test can detect early signs of bowel cancer. Stephen Owen, 64, [...]

PUBLISHED 30 MARCH 2023:A new NHS mobile ‘clinic in a van’ is set to tour Greater Manchester to talk to men about their risk of prostate cancer. The ThisVanCan roadshow is for black men aged over 45 who are more at risk of developing prostate cancer than other men. 1 in 4 black men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. The van is also [...]

People in Greater Manchester, who have been sent a lifesaving home testing kit that can detect early signs of bowel cancer, are being encouraged to use it and return it, as part of a new, first of a kind NHS campaign. The NHS national campaign – which sees adverts across TV, radio and social media, aims to increase uptake of the home testing kit to ensure [...]

March is prostate cancer awareness month. 1 in 4 black men, and 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. The risk is higher in men over 50 and those with a family history of prostate cancer.  Prostate Cancer UK has produced an online risk checker, to improve awareness of risk factors and promote early diagnosis. Mr Motivator encourages men to use the [...]

Millions of people in England, who have been sent a lifesaving home testing kit that can detect early signs of bowel cancer, are being encouraged to use it and return it, as part of a new, first of a kind NHS campaign. New NHS Campaign urges people to use their bowel cancer home testing kit Launching today across TV, radio, video on demand and [...]

Cancer survivor Hayley from Stockport is speaking out about having cervical cancer to raise awareness during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week which runs from 23 to 29 January. Hayley Lewis, a support worker, from Stockport, booked her routine cervical screening test (often known as a ‘smear test’) in January last year after receiving her invite from the NHS. Hayley Lewis from Stockport The busy mum-of-one had [...]

Hundreds of volunteers from across Hulme are being invited to return to mobile clinics over the coming days for their second appointment as part of the NHS-Galleri trial. Participants will be asked to give another blood sample to help investigate whether a multi-cancer blood screening test can help to detect cancer early before symptoms appear. If successful, the NHS plans to roll out the test to [...]

This Christmas marks 29 years since Carol Bryant, from Glossop, found a lump in her breast which turned out to be breast cancer. Thankfully Carol, who was just 30 at the time, went to her GP on Christmas Eve and went on to have successful treatment. Now the mum-of-two is urging those with symptoms they are worried about to make time for themselves – even during the [...]

We're shining the spotlight on four more winning teams who have been honoured in the Greater Manchester Cancer Awards. Our awards pay tribute to some of the important work being done by doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and researchers in Greater Manchester to improve lives and treatments for people affected by cancer.  Claire O’Rourke Managing Director of GM Cancer Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater [...]

Doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and researchers have been honoured by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance at the first-ever Greater Manchester Cancer Awards. This December we look back at some of the worthy winners from October. The Greater Manchester Cancer Awards pay tribute to some of the important work being done in Greater Manchester to improve lives and treatments for people affected by cancer. They recognise the collaborative [...]

Hundreds of volunteers from across Salford are being invited to return to mobile clinics over the coming weeks for their second appointment as part of the NHS-Galleri trial. Participants will be asked to give another blood sample to help investigate whether a multi-cancer blood screening test can help to detect cancer early before symptoms appear. 20,000 people from across Greater Manchester, including people in Salford, have [...]

When Sally Hayton, from Bury, was told she had lung cancer at age 49, at first, she thought it couldn’t be true. After all, she had never smoked. “I had this idea that lung cancer was something that only happened to older people who had smoked 50 cigarettes every day, all their lives,” she said. “I’d never smoked so I didn’t think I could ever get it!” [...]

Back to Latest News The winners have been announced for the first ever Greater Manchester Cancer Awards. Organised by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, the awards honour the outstanding work being done across Greater Manchester to improve lives and treatment for people affected by cancer. The Greater Manchester Cancer Awards honoured some of the amazing work going on in patient care, innovation, education and research [...]

Nikki Taylor, of Dukinfield, Tameside, is speaking out about her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer to raise awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Nikki Taylor, of Dukinfield, Tameside, is encouraging others to be aware of breast cancer symptoms. Nikki Taylor, 52, of Tameside, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February this year (2022). The mother-of-three spotted a dint in her [...]

If you’re heading down to Gorton on Monday 3 October or Salford on 7 October, you might spot something you weren’t expecting… The NHS, in collaboration with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, is touring the country with a giant pair of 12ft high lungs to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms and start much-needed conversations around the disease. The Roy Castle Foundation is touring the [...]

The shortlist has been announced for the first ever Greater Manchester Cancer Awards organised by Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. The awards will honour outstanding work to improve lives and treatment for people affected by cancer in Greater Manchester. A panel of judges – including patient representatives and staff working in cancer from across the city – whittled down around 50 entries to a final shortlist. [...]

Jonathan Smith who was successfully treated for blood cancer is raising awareness during Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September. September is also Blood Cancer Awareness Month. It also marks one year since father-of-four Jonathan Smith, from Hale, completed successful treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia – a type of blood cancer. Now Jonathan is joining Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance to encourage people to make sure they [...]

Back to Latest News Hundreds of volunteers from across Greater Manchester – including Oldham, Salford, Manchester, Trafford, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Wigan, Bury, Bolton, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop - will be invited to return to mobile clinics over the coming weeks for their second appointment as part of the NHS-Galleri trial. Staff in front of a mobile unit which is coming to Greater Manchester as [...]

2020 - 2021 Cancer Alliance Report published 29 July 2022 Today Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance publishes a two year report covering work that has taken place across our Alliance during 2020 and 2021. The report considers some of the challenges and subsequent measures brought about during the pandemic, in addition to innovative and progressive projects across our cancer pathways to improve the outcomes and experiences of people affected by cancer [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Awards open for entries July 2022 The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is delighted to announce that the first ever Greater Manchester Cancer Awards are now open for entries. The Cancer Alliance wants to celebrate the teams across our cancer network and their dedication to go above and beyond every day to improve outcomes and experiences for people affected by cancer here in Greater Manchester. Six categories have [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is reassuring people that it is still safe to attend cancer appointments. Cancer has been a priority throughout the pandemic and the NHS will continue to prioritise cancer services as we manage the Omicron wave. Cancer assessment and treatments will continue, and people are being urged to keep their appointments. Measures are in place to help protect patients and staff and it is important to not delay cancer [...]

Back to Latest News Princess Anne met with staff and patients on her visit to the specialist cancer programme. As Patron of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Her Royal Highness alongside Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham and representatives from the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, was introduced to a number of staff working on the specialist cancer programme, including exercise specialists, people affected by cancer enrolled on [...]