Lung cancer screening offered after successful trial

Current and former smokers in Leeds aged between 55 and 74 will be invited by the NHS to undergo CT scans in mobile imaging units in community locations such as supermarket car parks.

The programme follows the success of the Leeds Lung Health Check trial, which ran between 2018 and 2024, screening 8,800 people and detecting over 400 lung cancers, most of which at an early stage.

By catching cancer early, we will be able to save hundreds of lives in Leeds over the coming years.

Professor Mat Callister, School of Medicine

The trial was delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research. It helped pave the way for the national lung screening programme, set to be fully rolled out by the Government by 2030.

Patients in Leeds are already being invited to attend scans, and the project will last for two years.

Mat Callister, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leeds andClinical Director of the Leeds Lung Cancer Screening Programm, said: “Following the earlier success of the Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial in Leeds, we are excited about now being able to offer free NHS screening to everyone at risk in the city.

“By catching cancer early, we will be able to save hundreds of lives in Leeds over the coming years.”

Early diagnosis

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Yorkshire, with deaths double those of breast and prostate cancer. There are often no signs or symptoms at an early stage which means that many people already have advanced incurable disease at the time of diagnosis.

Screening with low dose CT scans aims to find lung cancer early, usually before people have symptoms. When diagnosed early, treatment for lung cancer is much more effective, often achieving a complete cure.

Healthcare provider Alliance Medical is supporting Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to deliver the programme, providing the mobile imaging units and radiography teams who will carry out low-dose CT scans six days a week.

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.”

Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research, Policy and Impact at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “Lung cancer causes around 3,000 deaths in Yorkshire each year, more than any other type of cancer. Too often, it’s found after symptoms have appeared, when treatment is less likely to be successful. This is why finding lung cancer earlier is so important, and the launch of the Leeds Lung Cancer Screening Programme is a major step forward.

“It builds on the success of the Leeds Lung Health Check trial, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, which showed that screening can identify lung cancer early, giving people a better chance of successful treatment and improved survival.”

Dawn Baldwin, National Diagnostic Imaging/Lung Operational Delivery Manager at Alliance Medical, said: “We're proud to be working with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to bring lung cancer screening closer to communities across Leeds. Through our work with NHS partners across the country, we've seen the value of delivering screening within local communities, and we're looking forward to bringing that expertise in mobile imaging and operational delivery to the Leeds programme.”

Jason Pawluk, Programme Director of West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, said: “We continue to prioritise the roll out of the lung cancer screening programme in our region and are grateful for the support of all local partners in making the programme work and to ensure it is a success. It will be completed by the end of the decade, whilst the development plans for the transition to a national screening programme are confirmed. Lung Cancer Screening is funded through NHS England as part of efforts to improve early diagnosis of cancer and reduce inequalities in cancer outcomes.”

Further information

Email media enquiries to University of Leeds press officer Lauren Ballinger via [email protected].