Yorkshire Cancer Research to screen 7,000 for lung cancer

About 4,500 people in Yorkshire are diagnosed with lung cancer each year

A £5.2m project claimed to be the UK's largest lung cancer screening trial is set to test 7,000 people for the disease.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is behind the investment which will visit communities in Leeds using mobile screening vans.

The charity said it hoped the programme would identify almost 300 cases over two years.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer in Yorkshire, with about 4,500 people diagnosed each year.

The trial, which is due to start in 2018, will focus on smokers and ex-smokers aged 55-80.

Project leader Dr Matthew Callister, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "If lung cancer screening was introduced across Yorkshire, hundreds of lives could be saved every year."

The charity said more than half of lung cancer patients in Yorkshire are diagnosed when their cancer is very advanced, which can limit treatment options and reduce the chance of survival.

It added the average cost of treating a patient with lung cancer ranges from £7,952 if diagnosed at Stage 1 to £13,078 if diagnosed at Stage 4.

Kathryn Scott, interim chief executive of the charity, said: "This is a unique opportunity to bring the very latest technology in lung cancer diagnosis to Yorkshire so it can be used for the people who need it most."

Further investment by Yorkshire Cancer Research

The charity is investing a further £1.8m in four other projects:

• £712,501 to pay for a community health campaign in Hull to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms and encourage people to attend health checks

• £272,142 to fund a study into improving radio therapy treatment for lung cancer patients

• £486,014 to pay for a health check project aimed at improving early diagnosis in disadvantaged communities

• £347,666 to focus on improving participation in bowel scope screening in Hull