Britain’s Got Talent winners cast spotlight on lung cancer
Posted 02 December 2020 - 12:22
Shadow theatre troupe Attraction’s video urges early diagnosis amid COVID-19 pandemic
Former Britain’s Got Talent winners Attraction have created a video performance to highlight the importance of early diagnosis in lung cancer.
The shadow theatre troupe, which won the TV talent show in 2013, produced the video for charity Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s Still Here campaign.
A persistent cough could be a lung cancer symptom
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, and remind the public that a persistent cough is not only a symptom of COVID-19.
The troupe’s performance tells the story of a daughter and her father who has symptoms of lung cancer, including a persistent cough.
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‘Huge drop in referrals to lung cancer services during COVID-19’
Lung Cancer Nursing UK committee chair Jackie Fenemore said: ‘Lung cancer nurses have seen a huge drop in referrals to lung cancer services during COVID-19 as people have not been going to their GP.
‘It’s been very concerning and, if lung cancer goes untreated, the prognosis can be very short for people.
‘It’s so vital that people who have a new cough for two weeks or more contact their GP.’
Lung cancer deaths have risen during pandemic
Research by the UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC) estimates that up to 1,372 additional lives may be lost from lung cancer due to the pandemic.
The UKLCC research also highlights that:
- Lung cancer referrals fell by up to 75% during the UK’s first lockdown.
- One in three people with lung cancer have died since the beginning of the pandemic while waiting for treatment.
- Some lung cancer deaths may have been mislabelled as COVID-19, with a cough being a key symptom of both diseases.
Lung cancer ‘driven back into the shadows by COVID-19’
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation chief executive Paula Chadwick said lung cancer had previously been in the shadow of other cancers until the charity brought it forward.
‘Now it’s been driven back into the shadows by COVID-19, so we set out to change that,’ she added.
‘We know that when lung cancer is caught early, it can be cured.’
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