By community reporter
When Ernest Parsons from Pudsey decided to attend a free lung health check funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, he never suspected he would later be diagnosed with kidney cancer.
While on the charity’s lung screening mobile unit, he took up the offer of an additional scan of his kidneys.
And it’s thanks to this spur-of-the-moment decision that the 79-year-old’s cancer was found early and successfully treated.
Now, Ernest has welcomed new funding which will extend the kidney research study he took part in and is keen to urge everyone invited to have the same life-saving scan he did.
Ernest is a much-loved lollypop man in Pudsey, Ernest was invited to take part in the Leeds Lung Health Check, a pioneering lung screening trial delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Helping to pave the way to the introduction of a national lung screening programme, the trial investigated the best way to offer people with a high risk of lung cancer a scan of their lungs.
When other types of cancer started being detected through the study, Yorkshire Cancer Research decided to fund a further trial, called the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial, to explore whether people could be offered a scan of their kidneys at the same time.
“I went to my local Asda car park for the lung screening, and when they asked if I would also like a kidney scan, I thought nothing of it,” Ernest explained. “I had no symptoms to be worried about. I would have never known that anything was wrong.”
Ernest received a call two weeks later to let him know the screening had detected something unusual. Another scan at Leeds General Infirmary found that one of his kidneys had three cancerous fluid-filled lumps.
Ernest said: “When I was first told I had cancer, I did start to panic. However, my consultant explained that because the cancer was caught early, it was isolated to that one kidney, which they could easily remove. He put me right at ease.”
Every year, around 150 people in Leeds are told they have kidney cancer. Kidney cancer often has no obvious symptoms in its early stages, when better treatments, and treatments with fewer side effects, are available.
Ernest continued: “My surgery was scheduled in for a Monday morning, and I was back home before Tuesday teatime. While the pain after surgery was tough, I was surprised that it was such a simple operation and grateful I didn’t have to go through any other treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy.”
Since his life-saving surgery, Ernest now has a check-up every year to assess his kidney function, with his most recent blood test confirming that all looks well.
Researchers leading the kidney screening trial discovered that more than nine in ten people offered a scan agreed to have it, and 80% of the kidney cancers identified were found at an early stage.
Following the success of the trial, Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding an extension of the study called TACTICAL1, which is testing different ways to invite people to take part in a scan of their abdomen, and new ways to make the scan quicker. The scans could help detect many different cancers including kidney, stomach, colon, liver, pancreatic and bowel cancers.
Ernest said: “If I hadn’t had a kidney scan, I know I wouldn’t be here today. The cancer would have spread, and I wouldn’t have known until I was very ill. By then, it may have been too late.
“I’m definitely in favour of the TACTICAL1 study. Abdomen screening should be available to everyone who needs it. If it saves lives, it’s worth it.”
Ernest is now making the most of life with his wife Ann and their three grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He has been a lollypop man for four years and takes great enjoyment entertaining local children by dressing up and playing music as he helps them safely cross the road.
Ernest added: “When they are invited, people should attend their screening and not be put off by the chance of cancer. If you’re diagnosed early like me, the cancer can be quickly dealt with.”
Find out more about how kidney cancer screening saves lives here.
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