More than 5,000 people in England have been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier thanks to the NHS’s targeted Lung Health Checks programme, NHS England has said.
The programme is the biggest initiative in NHS history aimed at improving early lung cancer diagnosis, and is specifically targeted at areas of the country with the highest rates of the condition.
Latest data from NHS England has shown that 5,037 lung cancers have now been found through the programme since its launch in 2019.
More than three-quarters of the cancers identified by the programme (76%) were found at the earliest stages of one and two, when it is potentially curable.
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People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stages are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late.
Using a mix of hospital services and roving scanning trucks that visit community sites, such as supermarket car parks, sports stadiums and town centres, in-depth lung health checks are carried out on current and past smokers.
The data showed that more than a third of people diagnosed from the most deprived areas of England were diagnosed at an earlier stage since the targeted lung health checks initiative began.
There was a 7.4% improvement in early diagnosis rates by the NHS last year (April 2023 to March 2024) compared to the period before Covid-19 (March 2019 to February 2020), NHS data has also shown.
Dame Cally Palmer, NHS cancer director, said: “These lung checks can save lives, so it’s fantastic that the NHS has been able to diagnose thousands of people at an early stage when lung cancer is potentially curable.
“The targeted lung health check programme is a new model of care with a community focus, making it easier for people to come forward in a way that works for them, whether in a supermarket car park or a sports stadium.
“It has been amazing to see the response, and initiatives like this will make a big difference in improving cancer survival for people throughout the country,” Palmer added.
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