Stage III Lung Cancer: Peter's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Peter was 80 and felt well when he joined the NHS Galleri trial. He had spent 31 years in the police force, stayed active, and had never smoked. After a blood test through the trial, he received a call saying something in his lung needed investigation. MRI, CT, and PET scans found a mass in his left lung. Peter described the cancer as around grade or stage 3-plus, and his doctors offered treatment options. He chose to take treatment on because he felt he had everything to gain. His treatment combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was given every weekday, Monday through Friday, for 4 weeks, for a total of 20 sessions. Chemotherapy sessions were interspersed during those weeks. Peter did not describe chemotherapy drug names. He had no side effects during treatment, but fatigue hit hard afterward and even made him miss Newcastle United matches. After treatment, he received the news he hoped for: the mass had gone. As of May 2026, Peter had returned to normal activities, including going back to football, and credited the Galleri trial with finding the cancer before symptoms appeared. His medical team could not say how long the cancer would have remained hidden without the blood-test signal.