HEALTHWATCH: NHS to roll out lung cancer screen trucks

More than one in three people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. Cancer is the biggest cause of death from illness or disease in all age groups. Death rates have fallen by a fifth in the last thirty years and are predicted to keep declining. But 130,000 people die from cancer each year. There are over 400 types of cancer – the most prevalent are breast, lung, prostate and bowel.

There are strong links between lifestyle choices and some cancers, with smoking, high alcohol consumption, diet and obesity all demonstrated to be influential in some cases. Wokingham Borough has low rates of smokers, however the GPs still have targets to reduce smoking.

Lung cancer scanning trucks that operate from supermarket car parks are being rolled out across the country in a drive to save lives by catching the condition early. Around £70 million will fund 10 projects that check those most at risk, inviting them for an MOT for their lungs and an on the spot chest scan that include mobile clinics.

Survival has improved significantly in some types of cancer, notably malignant melanoma, breast, testicular and prostate cancers. However, in lung, pancreas and oesophageal cancers and most brain tumours, survival has remained stubbornly low to date. The targeted screening will help improve survival rates by going first to the some of the areas with the highest death rates from lung cancer. A recent study showed CT screening reduced lung cancer mortality by 26% in men and between 39% and 61% in women*.

The NHS Long Term Plan set out an ambition that 55,000 more people will survive their cancer – to achieve this the plan also included an ambition to increase the number of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two from half to three-quarters of cancer patients.

Based on the pioneering schemes in Manchester and Liverpool, the projects will not just identify more cancers quickly but pick up a range of other health conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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The scheme means people aged 55-74 who have been identified as being at increased risk of lung cancer will be invited for a lung health check and be offered a chest scan if appropriate – this scan could take place in a mobile unit or in a hospital setting.

Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “We welcome the announcement confirming the roll out of 10 lung health check projects across England. Given our own first-hand knowledge of these programmes, coupled with the staggering results from the NELSON trial which saw a 26% reduction in mortality when high-risk patients had a CT scan, this is a big step forward in improving the early detection of lung cancer.