Post-doctoral researcher, Andrew Dickinson
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is taking part in a study aimed at the possibility of detecting lung cancer from saliva samples.
As part of Consultant Histopathologist, Dr Danielle Bury’s, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Scholars scheme, a research study that may help lead to earlier detection of lung cancer has been established with the support of the lung health check programme.
The project, funded by North West Cancer Research with equipment funding from The Pathological Society, is running alongside the local lung health check programme by testing saliva from participants who are offered a CT scan to see if clinicians can use saliva to detect lung cancer at the same rate as the CT scan itself.
The aim would be to use saliva tests as a screening tool moving forward in primary care should the research be successful.
Dr Bury, said: “This is an exciting project for the Trust which could pave the way for improvements in patient care for all lung cancer patients going forward.
“The funding has allowed us to appoint the Trust’s first post-doctoral researcher, Andrew Dickinson, to help run the project and we are delighted to be involved in something that could make such a difference to people’s lives.’’