More than 300 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer across the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance footprint since the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme was introduced three years ago.
Eight out of 10 of those patients were diagnosed with the disease at an early stage, making it easier to treat – only three in ten lung cancers are identified at an early stage outside of the programme.
This key milestone coincides with November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the launch of the Lung Cancer Screening Programme into Surrey for the first time.
“Lung Cancer Screening has led to a seismic shift in the diagnosis of lung cancer which should significantly improve outcomes for patients,” says Dr Alex Norman, the cancer alliance’s co-medical director. “Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms in its early stages, so screening plays a crucial role in early detection. This means treatment is more effective and survival rates are higher.
“The fact we have diagnosed such high numbers of people at an early stage is a testament to the dedication of everyone across primary and secondary care who has been involved in delivering the Lung Cancer Screening Programme.”
Under the programme, eligible patients who are current and past smokers aged between 55 and 74 years are invited by letter to take part in lung cancer screening.
The first stage is a lung health check, when they speak with a healthcare professional about their lung health. If they have a higher chance of developing cancer, they are offered a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan, a simple, painless scan of their lungs on a mobile scanning unit located in community settings such as supermarket carparks.
The Lung Cancer Screening Programme was first launched locally in summer 2022 in Crawley, Sussex. Since then, it has rolled out into Aldershot, Brighton and Hove, Farnborough, Hastings, Horsham, Peacehaven and Newhaven, Slough and Yateley.
It recently launched into Surrey for the first time, with eligible people in Horley, near Gatwick, being invited to take part. The CT scanner is located in the car park of Tesco Gatwick superstore.
This autumn, the programme has also rolled out to Horsham and Bexhill in Sussex and Bracknell in Berkshire.
To date, almost 100,000 people across the region have been sent a lung cancer screening invitation. The NHS ambition is for Lung Cancer Screening to reach 100% of the eligible population by March 2030.
One person who benefited from an earlier cancer diagnosis thanks to the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is Crawley resident and former smoker, Ginnie Walker, who was successfully treated in March 2024.
“The team at the lung health check in the supermarket carpark were lovely and non-judgmental about the fact I was a smoker. And it was all done so quickly,” she says. “I would say to any smoker, if you receive an invite for a lung health check, please just go for the scan. They won’t judge you. Go for your loved ones.”
