TARGETED LUNG HEALTH CHECK PROGRAMME HITS 300TH CANCER DIAGNOSIS MILESTONE IN COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE
11 December 2024
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The NHS Targeted Lung Health Check cancer screening programme has now diagnosed 300 patients with lung cancer across Coventry and Warwickshire. Reaching this milestone is a testament to the success of the screening programme and has allowed these patients to begin receiving care much earlier than they otherwise might have, dramatically increasing their chances of being successfully treated.
The Targeted Lung Health Check programme is a screening programme that targets those who are at higher risk of lung cancer and invites them to be assessed by a healthcare professional. The service is available for anyone aged between 55 and 74 who are current or former smokers, and registered at a participating GP practice.
Treating cancer early dramatically improves people’s chance of survival, with 60% of people currently surviving stage 1 cancer for 5 years or more compared with just 4% if treated at stage 4 . This makes cancer screening programmes, like the Targeted Lung Health Check programme, so important in identifying cancer early and ultimately saving lives.
Targeted Lung Health checks will be changing its name to Lung Cancer Screening as it transitions to become one of the UK’s national Screening programmes and is in the process of being rolled out across the UK. It is currently available in Coventry, Rugby & Warwickshire North and due to be rolled out to Warwickshire South in 2026.
The 300th lung cancer milestone comes at the end of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place every November, and the Targeted Lung Health Check team have been delivering a series of initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of taking up the offer of a free lung health check when invited.
Screening is simple. If you are eligible, you will be asked a series of questions over the phone as part of an assessment. Those who are high risk will be invited for a scan of their lungs at a mobile CT scanner. If there is anything suspicious, you will be referred to the hospital for further investigations, otherwise your lungs will be reviewed every 2 years until the age of 75. Smoking cessation support will be offered to those who wish to quit.
Karen Marley, Lung Cancer Screening Strategic Lead at UHCW, said:
“It is a fantastic achievement to reach the milestone of 300 lung cancers diagnosed through the Targeted Lung Health Check programme. The whole team and partners have worked tirelessly to promote and develop the programme, which has led to more than 48,000 people getting a lung health check and 80% of those diagnosed through the programme being picked up in the early stages.
“We know how important it is for lung cancer to be detected early, and often it has no symptoms at an early stage, which makes screening programmes like this vital if we are to offer successful treatment. So, I would urge anyone who receives an invite to a lung health check to accept the offer – it could save your life.”