Fareham and Gosport smokers invited for lung checks

More than 43,000 people are diagnosed with the condition every year in the UK, NHS figures show

Past and current smokers are being invited to a lung health check, as part of a scheme to improve cancer diagnosis.

More than 31,000 people across Fareham and Gosport, aged 55 to 74, will be offered the free service.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust will be offering screenings over the next two years.

It follows success of a similar project in Portsmouth, which has scanned 9,000 people in the past 18 months.

The Targeted Lung Health Check programme, funded by NHS England, was rolled out in areas of the country with the highest rates of lung cancer mortality.

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said it had picked up 80% of suspected cancers at a curable stage, compared to 38% before.

People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late.

Smoking is the biggest avoidable risk factor for lung cancer

Respiratory consultant at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Dr Alex Hicks, said the checks were important.

"Lung cancer can have few symptoms in the early stages - this means that people often don't seek medical help until tumours become more advanced," he said.

"This check takes minutes but it can save your life."

Over the next two years, invites will be sent out to all those eligible and registered with a GP surgery in Fareham and Gosport.

The lung health check will take place in two stages. The first is an initial phone assessment with a specially trained health care advisor.

If the assessment finds the person to be at high risk, they will be offered a health check with a nurse and a low dose CT scan of the lungs.

The NHS said there were usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition would eventually develop symptoms, including:

• A persistent cough

• Coughing up blood

• Persistent breathlessness

• Unexplained tiredness and weight loss

• An ache or pain when breathing or coughing

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].