Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Around 55,400 people are diagnosed in the UK each year1.听
Treating late-stage lung cancer is extremely challenging. However, lung cancer treatment can be significantly more effective if the disease is detected earlier in stage I or II, before the onset of symptoms when the disease is still localised.
Targeting those most at risk of lung cancer, the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme aims to detect lung cancer sooner, often before symptoms develop and when treatment is more likely to be successful. Launched in 2018, more than 5,500 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer through the programme, with 75% caught at stages one and two2.
In 2016, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust launched the 'Lung Health Checks' programme, utilising screening trucks to reach at-risk groups and completing over 110,000 checks. The success of the programme has led to NHS England implementing a nationwide programme. Hear Professor Richard Booton discuss pioneering and scaling up lung cancer screening across the UK.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer/incidence (accessed 14 February 2023)
