A LUNG cancer charity set up in memory of a Scholes-born entertainer has slammed the Government for failing to fund research into the deadly disease.
The criticism from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation came after it emerged only 3% of the cash given by the Government to fund cancer research was being spent on lung cancer.
Mike Unger, chief executive of the Foundation, said: "Each year 40,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer.
"Health authorities and the Government need to allocate sufficient funds to help tackle this disease at a local level to ensure earlier diagnosis, better patient outcomes and a broader range of treatment options."
His comments came as the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee revealed people in the north of England were twice as likely to die from cancer as those in the south of the country.
The report also found people in the north had lower survival rates because they were from poorer areas and tended to be diagnosed later.
Mr Unger said: "The situation is even more dire for those patients with lung cancer.
"While the Government may be working hard to ensure earlier detection of some cancers, lung cancer is still very much the poor relation."
Statistics issued by the Foundation show 80% of people diagnosed with lung cancer - the most common cause of cancer death in the UK - die within the first year.
