“I feel so lucky to have taken part in a screening trial that may have saved my life.” – Jenifer’s kidney cancer experience

Jenifer Perin from Otley didn’t know she would become the first woman to take part in the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial when she turned up to her lung screening appointment in September 2022.  

Instead, she’d expected the same experience as her previous lung scan in 2020. It was then she first took part in the Leeds Lung Health Check, an innovative lung cancer screening trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust that offered people with a higher risk of lung cancer the opportunity to have a CT scan of their lungs on a mobile screening unit.  

Having also felt fit and well this time, Jenifer expected to receive the same results.

People visiting the Leeds Lung Health Check mobile unit during this time were offered an additional abdominal scan thanks to the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial, a pioneering research trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and led by researchers at the University of Cambridge.  

The trial investigated whether people attending to have lung screening in the Leeds Lung Health Check would also agree to having their kidneys scanned at the same time.    

The trial saw over 4,000 in Yorkshire aged 55-80, who had smoked at some period in their life, be offered the opportunity to have their abdomen checked. People in this group are at the highest risk of developing lung cancer and also have a high risk of developing kidney cancer. Of those offered the additional scan, more than nine in ten accepted. 

Jenifer continued: “My lung scan had detected something at the top of my abdomen, but it was too far down to see from this scan alone. The fact I could have an additional scan done right there and then meant they were able to take a closer look straight away.”

Following further investigations and a biopsy in November, Jenifer was diagnosed with stage 1 kidney cancer. 

Every year, around 1,044 people in Yorkshire are diagnosed with kidney cancer, making it the sixth most common cancer in Yorkshire. If found at an early stage, the cancer is often treatable, however most people will have no symptoms at an early stage.

As the tumour in Jenifer’s kidney was detected early, she was able to have histotripsy, a type of non-invasive surgery which involves targeting the kidney tumour with a beam of focussed sound energy.

She said: “My consultant told me that the tumour was 2.5cm which was small enough for it to be zapped, requiring no needles or knives. This wouldn’t have been an option for me if it had grown any bigger, so I feel even more lucky that it was detected early.”

Jenifer had the surgery in May 2023, and a week later, was back to feeling fit and healthy. She visited St James’s Hospital every month for a follow-up scan and blood test, and in October 2023, was given the all-clear.

All of the kidney cancers identified during the Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial were found at an early stage. Early detection of cancer significantly increases the chance of cure through effective treatments such as surgery. 

Now that lung screening is being rolled out nationally, the team are conducting a further study to add kidney screening into these routine lung health checks. If successful it will lead to a large national kidney screening trial in future. 

Talking about life after cancer treatment, Jenifer said: “I’m back to doing all the things I love in life. My biggest hobby is line-dancing, which I’ve been doing with my friends nearly every week for over 15 years! I was actually on a line-dancing trip in Scotland when I got the call to say my results were all-clear.”

“I’ve got some exciting coach holidays planned this year, including going to Bodelwyddan Castle in Wales in February and Great Yarmouth in April. However, nothing beats spending time with my two sons and five grandchildren. One of my grandsons got married last year. It’s moments like that that make me feel so grateful to be here.”