GM Cancer News

A Greater Manchester mum – who started a blog to help her cope with her cervical cancer treatment – is sharing her experience to encourage other women to be aware about the symptoms and seek help. Mum Samantha originally put her symptoms down to the perimenopause. Samantha Brown, a mum-of-three from Bury, noticed abnormal vaginal discharge that was unusual for her in February 2022. At first, she thought it might be a symptom of the perimenopause, but soon she began to feel something wasn’t quite right in her body. In March, Samantha went to [...]

A cervical cancer survivor from Greater Manchester is urging more women to come forward for their cervical screening appointments, as she thanks the test for saving her life. Laura Hope is encouraging people to go for their cervical screening (smear test) when invited. 2024 was a whirl wind year for Laura Hope from Oldham. The 36-year-old legal secretary started last year knowing she had cervical cancer and would need life-saving treatment. In January, she had her first treatment at Royal Oldham Hospital. In February, she had a trip to America to celebrate her gran’s [...]

Our long-standing Cancer Voices Patient Representative Jo Taylor has been celebrated in the King’s New Year Honours list! Jo has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM). It's an award given to people who have made significant contributions to their local community or country.  Jo Taylor, Cancer Voices Patient Representative, talks on stage at the Greater Manchester Cancer Conference in 2024 The mum-of-two from Saddleworth, Oldham, will pick up her award in the summer this year. We caught up with Jo to see how she felt about the news and look back on some of [...]

More people in Bolton will be offered a free Lung Health Check in 2025. The free Lung Health Checks can help find lung cancer at an early stage when it is much more treatable and help save lives. They are for people who smoke or have smoked cigarettes or shisha and who are aged 55-74 years. Eligible people will be invited by post or via text message when the lung health checks are in their area. The checks were offered to eligible people registered with a GP practice in the Farnworth and Kearsley areas of [...]

More people in Oldham will be offered a free Lung Health Check in 2025. The free Lung Health Checks can help find lung cancer at an early stage when it is much more treatable and help save lives. By March all eligible people - smokers and former smokers aged 55 to 74 who are registered with a GP in the Oldham area – will have been invited for a Lung Health Check. The checks are for people who smoke or have smoked cigarettes or shisha and who are aged 55-74 years. The checks are already [...]

A mum-of-two from Salford is reminding people to make time for their health this festive season as she marks her fourth Christmas since her cancer diagnosis. Kathy Morse, 57, from Walkden, was diagnosed with vaginal cancer on December 4, 2020. Kathy Morse from Walkden was diagnosed with vaginal cancer in December 2020 Kathy faced a difficult Christmas waiting for her surgery in the New Year. As she prepares to celebrate another Christmas, Kathy wants to remind everyone to make time for themselves and their health during the festive period. She said: “Everyone is very busy [...]

Smokers and former smokers aged 55-74 years based at doctors’ surgeries in the Hulme area will be invited for a lung health check in January 2025. The quick, free checks can help find lung cancer at an early stage – before you might have any symptoms - when it is much more treatable and help save lives. The mobile clinic which will be offering Lung Health Checks in Hulme from January 2025 Most visitors to the lung health checks will get reassurance that everything is OK or be referred to get help to stop smoking. [...]

Smokers and former smokers aged 55-74 years based at a number of doctors’ surgeries in Wigan are being invited for a lung health check at an NHS mobile clinic based behind B&M at Robin Retail Park. The quick, free checks can help find lung cancer at an early stage – before you might have any symptoms - when it is much more treatable and help save lives. If successful, the NHS plans to roll out the test to a further one million people across 2024 and 2025. Most visitors to the lung health checks will [...]

Bowel Cancer Patient reps Russ, Sharon, Nabila and Nadine with This Van Can Ambassadors Vanessa and Michaela stand in front of the "This Van Can" Van. Look out for a new bright blue van which is touring Greater Manchester to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. Residents are invited to pop on board to get information about how to spot bowel cancer and learn about bowel cancer screening. It’s hoped the touring van will help people recognise potential bowel cancer symptoms at an earlier stage, when it’s more treatable. The van, which is part [...]

A project aiming to understand the impact and benefits of delivering cancer care to children in their homes across the North West has been launched this month – with help from Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance. The North West Children’s Cancer Operational Delivery Network has received funding from regional cancer alliances to deliver an 18-month proof of concept project across the region, working in partnership with Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Alder Hey Children's Hospital, in Liverpool.  The project – which launched its six-month planning phase this month – aims to understand the impact and benefits of [...]