Targeted lung cancer screening roll out could save thousands from silent killer

25 June 2023 , 23:01

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The £270 million-a-year scheme will use patients' GP records for those aged 55 to 74 to target current or ex-smokers (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Up to 9,000 people could have lung cancer caught earlier or prevented under a new screening programme.

The £270 million-a-year scheme, which will use patients' GP records for those aged 55 to 74 to target current or ex-smokers, could provide almost one million scans and earlier treatment.

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.

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.

Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, claiming 35,000 lives a year in the UK.

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Around 35,000 people die from lung cancer each year (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Around 48,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Rishi Sunak said the move would provide a "lifeline to thousands of families".

He added: "And while we focus on cutting waiting lists in the short term, we must also look to tackle some of the long-term challenges facing the NHS, including lung cancer which costs 35,000 lives every year.

"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 first phase of the scheme will reach 40% of the eligible population by March 2025 with the aim of 100% coverage by March 2030.

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of 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.

Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: "Targeted lung cancer screening with support to stop smoking at its heart will help prevent as well as treat lung cancer, still the leading cause of cancer deaths."

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Lizzy Buchan