For Suzanne Rogerson, Leeds will always be her home. It is where she was born, qualified as a nurse and raised her two daughters. It is also where she has helped save the lives of many people with cancer.
After graduating as a nurse at St James’s Hospital in Leeds in 1992, Suzanne worked on the gynaecology surgical ward and its attached chemotherapy unit, helping to treat people with gynaecological cancers. Her passion for cancer research started after becoming fascinated by the medication used to treat people on the ward.
She said: “I was working with patients receiving chemotherapy and a research nurse came in to give a patient a stem cell transplant through an IV infusion. We struck up a conversation about the patient’s treatment. It dawned on me then—there were people out there testing the drugs and equipment we used every day. I’d never really considered that before.”
After 10 years working in patient care, Suzanne followed her passion to begin a career in medical research in 2002. She spent the next 16 years working on drug, medical device and gene therapy clinical trials at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
In 2018, Suzanne was told about an opportunity to work on a new cancer clinical research trial in Leeds funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds.
“My friend sent me a job advert for a Lead Nurse role on a new cancer research project that would directly benefit communities in Leeds. It sounded ambitious but incredibly exciting—the exact kind of research I was passionate about. When I met Lead Researcher Professor Mat Callister and his team, I was immediately drawn in by their enthusiasm and determination to make a real difference.”
Suzanne accepted the role to become Lead Nurse in Research and Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for the Leeds Lung Health Check, one of the largest lung screening trials in the UK.
The trial looked at how lung screening can be introduced through a mobile unit that travels to convenient locations in communities where rates of smoking are particularly high, making it easier for people to take part.
For the next seven years, Suzanne would lead a 21-person team both on and off the unit, ensuring the smooth operation of the screening process and stop smoking appointments, while also managing home visits, providing telephone support, and overseeing data collection.
Since the trial began, over 8,800 people have been screened and over 400 cancers detected, resulting in many lives being saved through the early detection of lung cancer.
“I recently spoke with someone who was diagnosed with lung cancer after taking part in the trial in 2019. Thankfully, her cancer was detected early, and she was successfully treated. She told me how much she’s enjoying life now. Knowing I’ve played a part in giving people more moments to enjoy is a very special feeling.”
Having worked in the NHS for 35 years now, Suzanne passionately believes in well-funded national screening programmes for people at the highest risk of developing serious diseases, so they can seek treatment at the earliest opportunity.
She reflects on the impact that targeted screening programmes could have had on her Uncle Brian, who passed away from the disease last year.
“There were limited treatment options for my uncle as his cancer was detected at a late stage. That’s why national lung screening programmes are so important, so people like my uncle are identified and can get screened earlier than they might have otherwise been. If they are found to have cancer, they are more likely to be treated successfully and go on to live longer lives. “
According to Suzanne, one of her biggest achievements will always be working on a clinical trial that contributed to the government’s decision to roll out a national lung screening programme.
Data and evidence from the Leeds Lung Health Check helped show the government that targeted lung screening is feasible and provides value for money for the NHS. As such, by 2030, 600,000 people in Yorkshire could be invited for a life-saving lung health check as part of the government’s plans to deliver almost a million screening scans every year across England.
With the NHS having been passed the baton to deliver targeted lung health checks in Leeds and across the region, Suzanne hopes to see further work done to understand why a large proportion of people still don’t attend their screening appointment when invited.
“A quarter of people invited to take part in the Leeds Lung Health Check decided not to take part. Many of them lived in the most deprived areas in Leeds and were still smoking. They are often the ones underserved by the healthcare system and have poorer cancer outcomes, so it is vital more research is done to understand the barriers stopping them from attending their screening.”
“In reality, not everyone can afford the transport to attend screening or has access to other support that can help them get there. I hope the national lung screening programme will prioritise the needs of those who are at the highest risk of lung diseases, so they can benefit from these life-saving programmes.”
Suzanne’s role as Lead Nurse on the Leeds Lung Health Check has nearly come to an end, but she continues to go above and beyond to support Yorkshire Cancer Research and raise awareness of the impact of its work in Yorkshire.