Early detection of lung cancer has been at the core of our charity since it was founded in 1990. Our role in lung cancer screening has involved long-standing campaigning for its implementation and funding key research that laid the groundwork for the current programme.
We are now working with NHS England, as well as several individual programmes, to ensure as many people as possible take up the opportunity if they are invited.
National awareness campaign
Thousands of people have already been diagnosed through screening, with 75% of cancers caught at stages 1 and 2 when it is easier to treat with curative intent.
However, despite the clear benefits of the checks, many people are not taking up the opportunity of a lung health check when invited. Anecdotal feedback suggestions two main reasons for this:
- The asymptomatic nature of the disease means people think they don’t need the check up because they feel fine
- People invited are too frightened to find out if they have lung cancer and are under the belief that nothing can be done to successfully treat the disease.
As a result, NHS England commissioned us to develop awareness materials to drive uptake of screening.
Community engagement
Since July 2021, our role in lung cancer screening has expanded to include community engagement events to raise awareness of screening, highlighting the benefits and encouraging those eligible to take up the invitation.
We also use the opportunity to promote lung health and raise awareness of signs and symptoms to those who aren’t eligible for a check.
These events are so important as they allow us to directly address why someone has chosen not to attend. Reasons include:
- Feel well, with no symptoms and therefore don’t feel the need to attend
- Scared of what they might find
- Believing lung cancer is an instant death sentence
- Confusing a CT scan with an MRI scan
- Not receiving an invitation, or recalling an invitation, even though they meet the criteria
- Believing it is a scam
- Having no awareness of screening
- Thinking they will be lectured for smoking
- Not understanding they are eligible because they quit smoking a long time ago.
Community engagement events give us an opportunity to talk about the reasons someone has decided not to attend a health check. We are able to personalise the advice we give, address a person’s concerns and worries and provide the necessary encouragement to make an appointment that could save their life.