Early lung cancer is being caught sooner than ever
Over 1,750 people received a lung cancer diagnosis through NHS England’s Targeted Lung Health Check programme, with 76% caught at stages one and two.
Lung MOTs (Targeted Lung Health Checks)
Lung MOTs, or targeted lung health checks, launched in 2018 in areas with the lowest lung cancer survival rates. The checks focus on people most at risk of developing lung cancer.
So far, more than 300,000 people (313,387) have taken up the offer. For the first time, new data shows that in 2022, doctors diagnosed over a third (34.5%) of people with lung cancer in the most deprived fifth of England at stage one or two, up from 30% in 2019.
A new national campaign encouraging people to take up their scan
As part of the largest programme to improve early cancer detection, the NHS has teamed up with Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. The new campaign encourages the hundreds of thousands invited each month to take the potentially lifesaving scan.
The campaign will be running over the coming months across social media, through online advertising and on posters in areas where lung checks are operating.
Paula Chadwick is the chief executive of the UK’s leading lung cancer charity, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation:
“It is truly heartening to see the wonderful progress being made in the early detection of lung cancer because of the targeted lung health check programme.
These checks are allowing us to get ahead of lung cancer for the first time, catching the disease at the earliest opportunity, often before symptoms even start, and treating it with an aim to cure.
“So many people have already benefitted from a lung health check, but many others have been invited and not taken it up. I urge anyone who receives an invitation to have the check – even if you feel well, even if you have no symptoms, even if you think nothing is wrong. You have been invited for a reason. With lung cancer, it is always best to check.”
The new campaign highlights that early-stage lung cancer often shows no symptoms. Its goal is to encourage everyone invited to take the check, even if they feel healthy.
Rethinking lung cancer symptoms
“Thanks to successful symptom awareness campaigns over the past decade, people now better understand potential lung cancer signs, such as a persistent cough,” says Paula. “However, this knowledge may actually stop some from attending a lung health check.
“Many people assume that with a disease as serious as lung cancer, they would notice clear warning signs like a cough or shortness of breath. They think that if they feel well, they don’t need a check. Our new campaign explains that this isn’t always true. It is always best to get checked.”
How mobile lung health check units work
Now at 43 sites across the country, the mobile trucks scan people most at risk of lung cancer, including current and ex-smokers. They invite those at highest risk for an on-the-spot chest scan. Staff also give advice to help people stop smoking.
The lung trucks do more than scan for cancer. They have identified thousands of people with other undiagnosed conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. This allows people to get treatment earlier and helps prevent potential hospitalisations.