Un-symptomatic patient diagnosed with breast and lung cancer following check-up is encouraging others to attend appointments when invited

A resident in Stoneleigh village who has been diagnosed with two cancers following a routine NHS lung health check, is urging residents of Coventry to attend their appointments when asked.

When Ann Lowe was asked to attend an NHS lung health check she booked her appointment with no hesitation. Three months later the 56-year-old was diagnosed with two primary cancers, which would not have been picked up if she hadn’t attended the lung health check.

She said: “If I had ignored my letters then I wouldn’t have been diagnosed and things would have been much worse for me. I didn’t really have any symptoms so if it wasn’t for the lung health check I dread to think what might have happened.”

Last year Ann had experienced some breathlessness, but had put it down to her asthma and recovery from getting Covid.

She said: “The lung health check was an easy conversation to have with the nurse and I felt she showed a genuine interest in how I was. She joked that I had won the prize of a CT scan, just to check my lungs were fine.

“I had that scan and then went on holiday. When I came home I had a call to say the results showed the bottom lobe of my lung had collapsed, which would explain the breathlessness.

“They couldn’t see that part of the lung properly so I had to go for another scan. At this point I was a little anxious but happy that they had picked something up and could start to make it better.”

It was at this scan that doctors also noticed an issue with Ann’s left breast.

“Everything was happening so quickly,” Ann continued. “I was being seen very quickly for both my breast and lungs. I had my initial scan in August and since then have been diagnosed with two cancers, had surgery and have a plan for treatment.”

Following the diagnosis of stage 1 breast cancer and stage 3 lung cancer, Ann had surgery to remove the cancer in her left breast in November and is set to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

She said: “I am going to be having chemotherapy and radiotherapy on the same day, to treat the lung cancer. It will be eight hours a day and I get the weekends off, so I’m treating it as if it was work.

“My partner has been on this journey with me from the start, but I didn’t want to tell my children anything too early until I knew if there was something wrong. It was a very difficult conversation to have with them, but they are sensible and understood why I didn’t say anything sooner.

“I would never have had these cancers picked up if I hadn’t gone for the lung health check. I didn’t have any symptoms or reasons to worry, I’m so glad I went for the check – if I had left it, it could have been so much worse.”