HEALTH bosses received the perfect tonic today after moving a step closer to bringing the fight against cancer right into the heart of East Lancashire.

We can reveal that a plan to develop a special cancer unit across hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley is only weeks from receiving the formal backing of NHS chiefs.

Regional health bosses have told the Blackburn and Burnley NHS trusts, who submitted a joint bid to develop the unit, that they only need to make a few changes to their proposal.

Cancer is one of East Lancashire's biggest killers and the unit would lead to hundreds of life-saving operations and specialist cancer treatment being carried out on the doorstep of patients.

It would specialise in the treatment of lung, breast and stomach cancers which kill dozens of people in the district every year.

The unit would also mean fewer patients being forced to make the arduous trip to the Christie Hospital in Manchester for traumatic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The cancer unit would be split between Blackburn and Burnley through the linking of physicians and surgeons.

The bid was supported by East Lancashire Health Authority which worked with both trusts to produce the collaborative proposal.

The cancer unit will be central to a three-pronged approach to the treatment of the killer disease as outlined in the Calman Report.

It will deal with the

treatment of the most common cancers while the proposed "parent" centre at Royal Preston Hospital will deal with the rarer illnesses.

GPs, specialist nurses and primary care teams will be the final link in the new approach to treatment.

East Lancashire director of public health Dr Stephen Morton said: "This is an amber light, although we have been told to address a number of issues surrounding clinical practice and protocol agreements."

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