England lung cancer screening programme to catch thousands of cases sooner

Up to 9,000 cases of lung cancer could be caught sooner or prevented under a new screening programme set to be rolled out across England.

Each year the programme is expected to detect cancer sooner, deliver almost one million scans and provide treatment earlier.

The scheme, backed by a recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee, will use patients’ GP records for those aged 55 to 74 to identify current or former smokers.

Patients will have their risk of cancer assessed based on their smoking history and other factors and those considered high risk will be invited for specialist scans every two years.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Rolling out screening to high-risk 55 to 74 year olds will save lives by detecting up to 9,000 lung cancers a year at an early stage.

“The NHS has treated record numbers of cancer patients over the last two years, with cancer being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often and survival rates improving across almost all types of cancer.

“This latest announcement will help us go further and provide a lifeline to thousands of families across the country.”

The government’s programme could help women improve their health and reduce their risk of cancer by encouraging the use of smoking cessation services.

During its initial phase, almost 900,000 people were invited for checks, 375,000 risk assessments made and 200,000 scans were carried out.

More than 2,000 people were detected as having cancer, 76 per cent at an earlier stage compared to 29 per cent in 2019 outside of the programme.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Through our screening programme we are now seeing more diagnoses at stage 1 and stage 2 in the most deprived communities which is both a positive step and a practical example of how we are reducing health inequalities.

“Rolling this out further will prolong lives by catching cancer earlier and reducing the levels of treatment required not just benefiting the patient but others waiting for treatment.”

It is estimated the rollout will mean 325,000 people will be newly eligible for a first scan each year with 992,000 scans expected per year in total.

Anyone assessed as being at high risk of lung cancer will be referred to have a low dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan and subsequent diagnosis and treatment if needed. Those whose scans are negative will be reinvited for further scans every 24 months, until they pass the upper age limit.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Identifying lung cancer early saves lives, and the expansion of the NHS’s targeted lung health check programme is another landmark step forward in our drive to find and treat more people living with this devastating disease at the earliest stage.

“The NHS lung trucks programme is already delivering life-changing results, with people living in the most deprived areas now more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage, giving them a better chance of successful treatment.”

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “This is the news we have been waiting for. This is the day we truly begin to level up the lung cancer playing field.

“Lung cancer screening allows us to get ahead of this awful disease for the first time, catching it at the earliest opportunity – often before symptoms even start – and treating it with an aim to cure.”

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, added: “This is really positive news for a cancer type that takes more lives than any other.

“Targeted lung screening across England could diagnose people most at risk at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.”