“If it wasn’t for me going to that scan, I wouldn’t be here now.”
An Oxton man is encouraging smokers and ex smokers to take up a pioneering screening scheme, which is running in Wirral from now until February 2026.
Paul Nelson, 72, was invited to take part in the Lung Cancer Screening programme, which aims to detect lung cancer early by targeting people with a history of smoking, even if they are in good health.
The programme invites eligible people for a telephone appointment to check their risk of developing lung cancer and some may be offered a scan in a mobile screening unit which is moving around different locations in Wirral.
Paul said:
I hadn’t smoked in years and I walked more than 10km per day. I wasn’t ill and I’d never suffered with my chest. I almost didn’t go for the scan, but because it was so close to my home, I thought I’d pop down once I’d had the invite.
The scheme targets residents aged 55-74 who have a history of smoking, even if they haven’t smoked a lot or it was a long time ago. It has already been successful in detecting cancer early for thousands of people across the country. In the past four years, Lung Cancer Screening (formerly known as Targeted Lung Health Checks) has found 660 lung cancers across Cheshire and Merseyside - including 33 people who live in Wirral.
More than 500 of those were detected at an early stage, when treatment is easier and can be more successful, with many being fully cured of their cancer.
Paul went for a screening at the mobile unit in July 2024. He said:
The staff were really helpful and friendly. They told me I’d have my results in a week or two. I ended up getting a phone call that week saying I needed further investigation.
After more tests and scans, Paul was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, which had spread to his brain. It required treatment, fast.
Paul’s wife, Karen, said:
The results didn’t match how fit Paul was. He was active, he had no symptoms. Even our own GP couldn’t believe his eyes.
If he had not had that scan, within a few months he could have started to feel sick because the cancer was growing rapidly.
Paul said:
I told the doctors I’d try anything. I said if you can treat me, I’ll fight it.
And that’s what he did. Paul began months-long courses of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments. He is still receiving immunotherapy treatment every few weeks from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
Karen added:
Things moved quickly after he was diagnosed and the NHS has given Paul fantastic care.
Thankfully, Paul’s treatments have worked really well to reduce the cancer in his chest and brain. He is now seeing his future in years again, rather than months. He’s focussing on his fitness again, and enjoying some holidays and making memories with his loved ones.
Paul said:
Not to play down the health side of things, but one of the worst things to come out of all this is, we can’t get holiday insurance now! So we’re planning some trips in and around the UK and Ireland.
Paul and Karen are huge advocates for the Lung Cancer Screening programme. They credit that quick and non-invasive scan with saving Paul’s life.
Karen said:
People think with cancer you get little symptoms etc. With Paul, and what we know now with lung cancer, is it can be so silent, it can be there a long time with no symptoms until it is too late.
Paul said:
If you are offered a screening, take it. Do not refuse. You might find nothing, but you could find something. If it wasn’t for me going to that scan, I wouldn’t be here now.
You’re there for 15 minutes at most, 15 minutes out of your day is nothing compared to the rest of your life.
The Lung Cancer Screening mobile unit will at various locations in Wirral until February 2026.
If you’re aged 55-74 and are a current or ex-smoker, you should be contacted automatically by the team at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital via a text or letter.
If you think you could be eligible for a lung health check, contact your GP practice and make sure your smoking status is up to date, otherwise you will not be invited. For more information about the programme, visit: Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital | Lung Cancer Screening.
