The Greater Manchester Cancer Podcast: Recent Episodes
GM Cancer
Across cancer services in Greater Manchester, amazing work is happening every day. Frontline staff, managers, clinical leaders and people affected by cancer work together with the simple focus of making sure that every person throughout Greater Manchester is able to access a world class cancer service.
This podcast is all about sharing some of the work going on with the wider Greater Manchester Cancer workforce – that’s thousands of people across all areas of Greater Manchester, working in many different roles - and giving some of the fantastic people who do that work the opportunity to share their experiences with everyone.
In each episode, presenter Steve Bland (from the BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C) will focus on a different topic and talk to some amazing guests so if there's anyone you'd like to hear from or a topic you want to see covered, please get in touch.
For more information about GM Cancer visit www.gmcancer.org.uk.
In this episode Steve explores how lung cancer affects people in Greater Manchester, finds out why the region is impacted far more than other parts of the country AND gets the lowdown on two brand new projects designed to give patients better outcomes and better experiences.
The first, a chest x-ray pilot, is all about diagnosing the cancer earlier, while the second is a new one stop clinic for lung cancer.
To explore all that and more, including how the pandemic impacted lung cancer, Steve is joined by Matt Evison, clinical lead for lung cancer at the GM Cancer Alliance; Seamus Grundy, a consultant respiratory physician; Kath Hewitt, lead specialist nurse for lung cancer, and Karen Peplow, who is a Macmillan lung cancer nurse specialist.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
In the second of two special episodes to mark World Cancer Day 2022, Steve Bland looks ahead to the next 12 months in Greater Manchester and explores the ground-breaking projects designed to transform patient pathways, in the company of Lisa Galligan-Dawson, Performance Director at GM Cancer.
Steve also speaks to Kirsty Rowlinson-Groves from Prehab4Cancer to find out what drives her to make a difference.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
In the first of two special episodes to mark World Cancer Day 2022, Steve Bland looks ahead to the next 12 months in cancer research with Professor Rob Bristow, the director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
Listen to find out what's coming up in Greater Manchester and across the world, and why the 'Close the Care Gap' theme is especially important.
For more information about GM Cancer click here and to find out about the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, visit Homepage - Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
In a special Christmas episode, we turn the podcast over to you to find out what drives you to make a difference every day.
Presenter Steve Bland speaks to four people doing very different jobs across Greater Manchester and explores the personal experiences that give them extra motivation to make an impact.
Claire Goldrick tells Steve about her best friend Amy, and how that impacts her role as a Pathway Manager at GM Cancer.
Cath Comley explains how her own experience of melanoma and her dad's prostate cancer diagnosis give her added motivation in her job as Commissioning Manager for Planned Care and Cancer in the Stockport CCG.
Catherine Fensom, the Operational Management Lead for the new Christie at Macclesfield, explains how her own cancer experience with her parents inspires her every day.
Leanna Goodwin talks openly about her partner James, and how his rare cancer diagnosis prompted a career change and a new role at the Christie.
You can find out more about the Christie at Macclesfield here.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
In episode three, Steve Bland reflects on the study published in the Lancet that found that the HPV vaccine has cut cases of cervical cancer by almost 90 per cent (HPV vaccine cutting cervical cancer by nearly 90% - BBC News). But it's not just cervical cancer that's caused by HPV. In fact. many head and neck cancers are also related to the virus.
Steve speaks to Navin Mani, a consultant head and neck surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and Steve Sweeney and his son Ben. Steve was diagnosed with vocal chord cancer six years ago and son Ben, 14, has had the vaccine.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
And to find out about the HPV vaccine, click HPV vaccine overview - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
In episode two, Steve Bland explores the exciting new Galleri Trial announced by NHS England and healthcare company GRAIL UK, which could see a single blood test used to spot the early signs of 50 cancers, including some of the most difficult to diagnose and detect.
The trial is being rolled out in eight parts of the country, and one of those is right here in Greater Manchester. Steve gets the lowdown on the science from Sara Hiom, the Director of Cancer Intelligence at GRAIL, finds out how it will work on the ground from Dr Matthias Hohmann, who is a GP in Oldham and the Clinical Director for Cancer at Oldham CCG, and gets the thoughts of patient Julie Colville.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
And to find out about the Galleri Trial, visit NHS-Galleri Trial | Detecting cancer early.
Presenter Steve Bland finds out how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected cancer services in Greater Manchester by chatting to Professor David Shackley, the Medical Director at GM Cancer, Kirsty Rowlinson-Groves, from the Prehab4Cancer Programme Manchester, and patient Charmaine Sangster who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during the first lockdown.
For more information about GM Cancer click here.
And to find out about Prehab4Cancer, visit their website: Prehab4Cancer.
Across cancer services in Greater Manchester, amazing work is happening every day. Frontline staff, managers, clinical leaders and people affected by cancer work together with the simple focus of making sure that every person throughout Greater Manchester is able to access a world class cancer service.
We’ve produced this podcast to share some of the work going on with the wider Greater Manchester Cancer workforce.