Summit Post
People at high risk of developing lung cancer will be among the first to take part in a new screening service, which it is hoped will reach about 90,000 people in Leeds. Free NHS lung cancer screening checks are being offered to people aged between 55 and 74 who are smokers or who have previously smoked, in the hope that cases of lung cancer can be caught early. A mobile CT scanner will be used to check people at locations across Leeds in the next two years, starting at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Beeston.
The programme builds on the Leeds Lung Health Check trial, which ran between 2018 and 2024, screening 8,800 people and detecting over 400 cancers, most at an early stage. The trial was funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) and the University of Leeds. It helped pave the way for the national lung screening programme, which is set to be fully rolled out by the government by 2030.
According to LTHT, lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Yorkshire, with the number of deaths from the disease double those of breast and prostate cancer. There are often no signs or symptoms of lung cancer at an early stage, which means that many people sadly have advanced incurable disease at the time of diagnosis. LTHT is being supported by Alliance Medical, who will provide the mobile imaging units and radiography teams who will carry out low-dose CT scans six days a week.
The mobile scanning units will be located in local communities so they can be easily accessed, and they will have stairs and lift access. Anyone registered with a Leeds GP who has ever smoked cigarettes can expect to receive an invitation letter over the next couple of years, to be invited to take part in a telephone consultation. Those who are at high risk of lung cancer will then be invited for a lung CT scan at the mobile scanning unit, which will be touring different locations across Leeds.
Anyone experiencing breathing problems or a cough which will not go away is urged to contact their GP immediately. Suzanne Rogerson, Lead Nurse for the Leeds Lung Cancer Screening Programme, said: "This is an exciting opportunity to improve access to healthcare and help reduce health inequalities across Leeds. "By bringing our mobile Lung Health Check unit into local communities, we can make screening more convenient, so it is easier for people to take part.
"Ultimately, this programme has the potential to save lives and improve the health of our communities."
Source: BBC
