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Everyone at the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend Jo Taylor.    Since her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007, Jo devoted her life to supporting others affected by the disease, transforming her own experience into a powerful force for change. She has touched thousands of lives across Greater Manchester, the UK and beyond.  The late Jo Taylor speaking at the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance Conference in 2024 As a patient representative at the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance for 10 years, Jo represented the voices of [...]

When great-grandfather Tom Slattery noticed a lump on his neck in 2023, he didn’t ignore it. He got medical advice straight away - and that quick decision changed everything as he was diagnosed with cancer. This Van Can is a mobile NHS cancer awareness roadshow touring Greater Manchester to encourage people to Get Cancer Clever “It was scary at first,” Tom recalls. “But seeing the doctor quickly was the best thing I ever did. I was sent for tests and treatment right away – and now I’m doing really well.  I’m spending time with [...]

A new series of mini films  - designed to help dispel fears about breast cancer and breast cancer screening – has been launched to support Black and South Asian women. Community leaders hope the four videos will increase the number of people from ethnic minorities who attend breast cancer screening. The videos - co-produced with ethnic minority women - aim to improve breast health awareness and encourage health seeking behaviours. They also want to encourage more people with potential symptoms of breast cancer - like a lump - to go to their GP to [...]

Look out for an eye-catching the new Heartburn Health Roadshow visiting 10 areas of Greater Manchester to raise awareness about ongoing heartburn and the potential symptoms of oesophageal cancer – also known as cancer of the food pipe. The Heartburn Health Roadshow is touring Greater Manchester between 6 and 17 October 2025 and is a partnership between the Alliance and national charity Heartburn Cancer UK. Residents are invited to pop along to get information about heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux and find out more about the potential early symptoms of oesophageal cancer to look [...]

Healthcare professionals working with people affected by cancer can now refer patients into NHS Talking Therapies. The service is free, confidential, and available to anyone registered with a GP in Manchester, Bolton, Salford, Trafford and Wigan. A women talks to a counsellor while sitting on a sofa. Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance has worked with Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Talking Therapies Service to create a dedicated pathway which can help support people who have been affected by cancer. It offers support and psychological therapies to people who may be experiencing psychological difficulties linked to [...]

People in Westhoughton, Bolton who are current or former smokers are being offered an ‘MOT for their lungs’ this autumn. The mobile NHS clinic will be offering free lung health checks in Westhoughton this Autumn. The NHS will be offering free lung health checks which can help find lung cancer at an early stage when it is much more treatable to help save lives. The quick checks – which will take place on board a mobile clinic parked in a community location – are for people who smoke or who have previously smoked cigarettes [...]

People from The Heatons in Stockport who are current or former smokers are being offered a free lung health check this autumn. The mobile Lung Cancer Screening unit is coming to serve people from The Heatons in Stockport The NHS is offering lung cancer screening which can help find lung cancer at an early stage when it is much more treatable. The quick checks – which will take place on board a mobile clinic parked at Portwood Tesco – are for people who smoke or who have previously smoked cigarettes or shisha and who [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is launching a new breast cancer awareness campaign encouraging people to “look and feel” every month ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.  The campaign features women from the Greater Manchester area and encourages people to be vigilant and report any potential signs of breast cancer to their GP. The launch will include advertising in the Manchester Evening News and on the In Your Area and Bolton News, Oldham Times and Bury Times websites as well as social media promotion and work to promote the messages with community groups. The [...]

A teacher from Greater Manchester is urging others to trust their instincts and seek medical advice at the first sign of unusual symptoms after her own delayed visit to the GP led to a stage four cancer diagnosis. Sharon is now urging people to visit their GP if they experience symptoms - like she did - which could be ovarian cancer. Sharon Withington, 54, is a PE teacher at Stockport Grammar School. She first noticed a slightly swollen stomach in April 2024 but assumed it was weight gain. Fit, active, and eating healthily, she [...]

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance has been shortlisted for two awards at the prestigious 2025 HSJ Awards recognising our innovation in early diagnosis and cancer diagnostics.   The Alliance is shortlisted for two HSJ Awards, including NHS Communications of the Year Award The Alliance is nominated for NHS Communications Initiative of the Year Award for the work rolling out two mobile units under the “This Van Can” banner to raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis for ovarian and bowel cancer. Alliance staff are also in the running for the Modernising Diagnostics Award for [...]