More than 5,000 people in England have now been diagnosed with cancer through the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check programme, officials have said.
Since roll out of mobile CT scanning units in 2019, 5,037 lung cancers have been detected, NHS data shows with 76% detected at stage 1 and 2, NHS England said.
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, it added.
The targeted programme has focused on areas with the highest rates of lung cancer providing risk assessment and CT scans for current and former smokers aged 55 to 74,
Checks are offered in a range of venues from existing hospital services to mobile units in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums and town centres.
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 targeted lung health checks initiative began, NHS England added.
Overall there was a 7.4% improvement in early lung cancer diagnosis rates in 2023/24 compared to the same period Covid-19 before Covid-19.
The target set by the UK National Screening Committee and Government is for the programme should be fully rolled out across the country by 2030.
NHS cancer director, Dame Cally Palmer, said: ‘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.’
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said lung cancer continued 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.’
The figures showed targeted lung health checks in England were having a ‘huge impact’ on people’s lives by bringing care into the community and offering stop smoking support.
‘Expanding the programme across England will help to catch more cancers, and we hope to see targeted lung screening implemented across the UK so people can benefit from potentially life-saving checks.’
A pilot to test the feasibility of picking up undiagnosed COPD during the lung health checks found that 70% of those offered an assessment had the condition.
It provides a ‘targeted opportunity’ to pick up more cases of the disease in those at high risk and start treatment, the researchers reported.
