Merseyside and Cheshire lead the way in early lung cancer detection

More than 10% of lung cancers detected through the NHS’s national lung health check programme have been found in Merseyside and Cheshire, marking a significant success for the programme’s regional rollout.

Since 2019, lung cancer has been diagnosed in the area 533 times, with around 80% caught at an early stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.

The NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme is the biggest initiative in NHS history aimed at improving early lung cancer diagnosis and is currently specifically targeted at areas of the country with the highest rates of lung cancer. The latest NHS data shows that 5,037 lung cancers have now been found through the programme since its launch five years ago.

NHS data also shows that more than a third of people diagnosed with lung cancer from the most deprived areas of England were diagnosed at an earlier stage since the checks began. 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.

Under the programme, delivered regionally by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, current and past smokers aged between 55 and 74 are invited to speak with a healthcare professional about their lung health and, if they have a higher chance of developing cancer, are offered a scan of their lungs on a mobile unit.

Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) is helping to organise the checks in the region and they have already taken place in Knowsley, Halton, Liverpool and south Sefton, with them also now rolling out across Wirral and Warrington.

Jon Hayes, Managing Director of CMCA, said:

“Today’s figures show that the programme in England is already having a huge impact on people’s lives – and this is especially the case in Cheshire and Merseyside where 10% of the total number of lung cancers have been found.

“We will be rolling out lung health checks to the rest of Merseyside and Cheshire in the next few years and we urge everyone who is invited to an appointment to attend it.

“Lung cancer continues to cause more deaths in the UK than any other cancer. Early diagnosis saves lives, which is why lung screening for people at high risk of the disease is so important.”

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.”

For more info on the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme click here.

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