HEALTH staff dealing with lung cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease in East Lancashire, will bring hundreds of their colleagues together to fight it.

The Lung Cancer Study Day, on Wednesday, May 15, will be a chance for specialists in all areas to share what they know about the disease.

It will be the first in a series of study days organised for staff across the region.

East Lancashire has one of the highest incidences of lung cancer in the north west, and the highest in the East Lancashire and South Cumbrian cancer network. Staff are not certain why the numbers are so high, but social conditions are thought to be partly to blame.

Around 350 new patients are diagnosed each year and organisers of the network want to liaise together to improve service across the board.

Managers are organising a series of changes, which will bring the network closer through study days and meetings with different staff from across the region, as well as plans to introduce support groups.

They want to make the service the same across the area, so that patients wherever they are in the network have the same standard of treatment.

The moves are in preparation to reach the Government's Cancer Plan targets for 2005, when all areas must meet the same standards and shorter waiting times.

Staff currently gather on a monthly basis and aim to set up meetings with staff from different fields in the future.

Carmel Wiseman, lung cancer specialist nurse for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley and one of the event organisers, said: "The multi-disciplinary meetings are something which have never happened before. Cancer physicians, oncologists, radiologists, and care teams can get together to discuss patient treatment regularly."

The first study day, which will be held at the Clayton Park Conference Centre in Accrington, will feature the role of the specialist nurse; the role of social worker; physiotherapy for lung cancer patients; a look at chemotherapy and surgery and talks by Macmillan nurses on symptom control.

It is open to health care staff from GPs and district nurses to specialists and will be held from 9am to 4.30pm. For details ring Carmel on 01254 293450 or Ruth Fuller on 01254 294163.