NEW NHS data shows 10,678 lung cancers have been detected through the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which has rolled out scanning trucks in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and busy high streets.
More than three quarters of those cancers were caught at stages one or two.
People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stages are nearly 13 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late.
Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer, NHS England, London, UK, said: “The Lung Cancer Screening Programme has been designed around where people already are, bringing scanners into their local communities to make it easier for people to get checked.
“It is great to see the positive public response to this programme, and rolling this out nationwide will help us save even more lives in the future.”
Smokers aged 55 to 74 underwent lung health checks and scans by local health teams.
The screening programme has now reached half of England’s most at risk groups.
National Cancer Plan
The government is aiming for 75% of people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years or more by 2035.
By 2030, the lung screening programme will support the diagnosis of up 50,000 cancers, the NHS predicts.
It will also reportedly lead to over 6 million people across England being invited for a lung health check.
James Murray, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, London, UK, said: “Catching cancer early is a powerful way to save lives and ensure people live better with cancer, and this programme shows what the NHS can achieve when we take healthcare to people, rather than waiting for them to come to us.
“Under our National Cancer Plan, we want three in four people diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years, and earlier diagnosis is crucial to achieving that.”
Featured image: James C on Adobe Stock
