A MUM from Dorset was alerted to her stage 4 lung cancer following her involvement in a blood test that identified the condition.

The NHS is trialling a blood test that could help thousands of people receive earlier, more targeted lung cancer treatments.

Kat Robinson, 33, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in September 2023.

Kat was a healthy and active non-smoker when an extended migraine took her to her GP.

Her doctor immediately sent her to the hospital for tests.

On her second day in the hospital, Kat was told about the ctDNA pilot and agreed to take part.

The team took her blood and continued to run full diagnostic tests.

Kat was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer, with tumours spreading to a total of four sites in her body.

Kat said: “Those early weeks are a complete blur; my life changed so quickly, and I had to take on so much information.

“I went from going to the gym multiple times a week to having to wrap my head around the fact that doctors were talking about treatments to try and prolong my life.”

The results didn’t just give Kat some peace of mind, but they also meant that her clinical team were able to immediately ensure that she had access to treatments that specifically target the changes in the genome that drive her cancer.

Kat said: “When I first heard my diagnosis, I spent a lot of time trying to understand if I did it to myself.

“Having the ctDNA test results back gave me a sense of relief that there was no one to blame; I couldn’t be angry about it.

“The tablets help me keep my cancer in check; they are allowing me to carry on with my day-to-day life. I can do things with my family – I can be a mum to my daughter.

“I even managed to take her trick-or-treating this year, and we both want to make many more memories together.”

Kat is currently taking Brigatinib, a medicine that blocks cancer cells from receiving the signal to divide.

Doctors hope that this means Kat’s cancer will stop growing and spreading.

Kat's sister created a Go Fund Me titled "Cancer fight for Kat Robinson - making memories", to help her fund a "once in a lifetime trip" with her daughter.