The NHS is now diagnosing thousands of lung cancer cases early, thanks to its supermarket screening initiative, new figures show. Since the programme began in 2019, 10,678 lung cancers have been detected, with the majority caught in their earliest stages.
Early Diagnosis Saves Lives
Early diagnosis is crucial, as those diagnosed at the earliest stages are nearly 13 times more likely to survive for five years than those diagnosed late. The programme, which uses mobile screening trucks stationed at supermarkets, sports stadiums, and high streets, aims to improve Britain's poor lung cancer survival rates. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK.
The trucks offer people aged 55 to 74 with a history of smoking an 'MOT for their lungs'. Areas with the highest death rates from lung cancer were prioritised, with half of England's most at-risk people now screened. These are typically deprived regions with high smoking rates, which account for around 70 per cent of cases.
Reaching Hard-to-Reach Groups
The initiative encourages 'hard to reach' groups, including poorer people, men, and lifelong smokers, to get tested. Under the new National Cancer Plan, the Government aims for 75 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer to survive five years or more by 2035, with the national rollout of lung cancer screening being key.
Ken Roberts, 74, from Manchester, is one of the thousands of ex-smokers who benefitted. He was invited for a lung health check at a mobile scanning unit at his local Morrisons. Initially declining due to no symptoms, he later changed his mind. 'In the end, I went because it was so convenient, and I could park really easily,' he said. After a CT scan and biopsy at Wythenshawe Hospital, he was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer, which was treatable with surgery. He is now cancer-free and urges others to attend.
The Government hopes the nationwide rollout by 2030 will invite over six million people for a lung health check, potentially diagnosing up to 50,000 cancers.
NHS and Experts Praise Programme
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England national clinical director for cancer, said: 'Lung cancer checks and scans save lives, so it’s fantastic the NHS has now diagnosed over 10,000 people — the majority at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.' He added that the programme brings scanners into local communities to make it easier for people to get checked.
Health Secretary James Murray said: 'Catching cancer early is a powerful way to save lives... I urge anyone who receives an invitation to take it up.' Cancer Research UK’s CEO Michelle Mitchell noted that early diagnosis significantly improves survival chances and called for the government to deliver on its pledge to rollout screening by 2030 with adequate staff and resources.
