THE GP cancer lead with Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group is urging patients who have been treated for ling cancer to complete a survey about their early symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Amelia Randle hopes the results will provide information to GPs to assist with the future planning of lung cancer services.

Somerset CCG had been accepted as part of a national pilot scheme working with family doctors and hospital specialists to improve the early detection and treatment of the disease.

The initiative comes as figures show lung cancer survival rates in the UK are lower than many other countries..

Dr Randle said: “Early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is the key to a patient’s long-term survival.

“That is why GPs, patients, carers, volunteers and the wider community could all be helping to save more lives by being more aware of the disease.

“Somerset lung cancer patients and their carers can complete the survey online or have a copy sent to them.

“We are working closely with Cancer Research UK and MacMillan Cancer Support and as GPs it is our hope that a time will come when all lung cancer patients will be able to say, ‘I was diagnosed early, I understood my diagnosis and treatment and I was able to continue to enjoy life and felt I was supported’.”

Click on the link on this story to complete the survey.