10% of lung cancers diagnosed in England through screening from the North East and North Cumbria
As the milestone is marked nationally, data shows that three out of four of the more than 1,000 lung cancers found in the North East and North Cumbria were at the earliest stages of one and two, when it is potentially curable.
The screening programme invites people aged 55-74 years who smoke or used to smoke for a lung health check. People who are identified as higher risk are offered a scan of their lungs. This finds lung cancer early.
The Northern Cancer Alliance (NCA) oversees the programme in the North East and North Cumbria, commissioned by North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. Services are operational in Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Tees Valley, Northumberland, North Tyneside, County Durham and North Cumbria. Every eligible person will be invited to a check by 2028.
Since starting in 2021, nearly 330,000 people have been invited for a lung health check and more than 178,000 have been carried out. From those, over 111,000 low-dose CT scans have been undertaken, with more than 1,000 lung cancers diagnosed.
Dr Liz Fuller, the NCA’s Clinical Lead for Lung Cancer Screening, said:
"We're extremely proud of the success of Lung Cancer Screening in the North East and North Cumbria over the last five years and that the number of lung cancers we have diagnosed earlier makes up around 10% of the England total.
"The most important thing to highlight is that more than 1,000 lung cancers have been diagnosed earlier leading to better treatments for those people and many lives saved.
"We'd like to thank everybody involved in the continued roll-out of this programme for their hard work and dedication to earlier diagnosis and would encourage anyone who is invited for a check to attend."
Adam Bathgate, 64, is one of the more than 1,000 people in the North East and North Cumbria whose life has been potentially saved thanks to taking part in screening.
After having a lung health check, former smoker Adam had a scan which showed the early signs of cancer in his right lung. Just a few weeks after having surgery to remove the lower part of his lung, he was back playing squash and continues to live an active life.
Adam, from Newcastle, said: "I felt perfectly well when I had my lung health check and scan so I wasn't worried about it at all. It was huge a shock when I found out I had lung cancer.
"I'm so relieved I had the check and scan and the NHS diagnosed it when they did. By the time you start experiencing symptoms, lung cancer has usually progressed, and the outlook can be pretty grim.
"You think it's not going to happen to you, but it can, so what harm is there getting it checked out? It could save your life."
The NCA is committed to increasing uptake in lung cancer screening across the North East and North Cumbria and there is ongoing work to improve access and make sure that everyone eligible can take part. This includes providing reasonable adjustments such as longer and face-to-face appointments, interpreters, and bringing a friend or relative for support.
This is alongside existing initiatives with partners to raise awareness of screening, the signs and symptoms of cancer and how to seek help, particularly in communities which are at greatest risk.
Find out more about Lung Cancer Screening in the North East and North Cumbria.
The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme aims to improve early lung cancer diagnosis rates and has now reached 50% of the most at risk people in England, having started in the areas with the highest lung cancer mortality in 2019.
Under the new National Cancer Plan, the Government is aiming for 75% of people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years or more by 2035.
Dr Fuller added: "These latest screening figures are also an opportunity to urge people to seek help if they have symptoms which could be a sign of lung cancer, regardless of whether they’ve been invited or taken part in screening or not. Put simply, earlier diagnosis can save lives.”
If you have any of the following, seek advice from your GP:
- New or changed cough of more than three weeks
- Coughing blood
- Chest infections that keep coming back
- Unexplained breathlessness, pain, weight loss or tiredness
- Hoarse voice or problems swallowing
- Swelling of face or neck