Leeds lung cancer health check trail sees 3,000 tested

Screenings take place in a mobile unit based in shopping centre car parks

More than 40 people unaware they were in the early stages of lung cancer have received life-saving treatment after being diagnosed in a new trial.

Organisers of the Leeds Lung Health Check said it was the largest lung cancer screening trial in the UK.

The four-year project, which is costing £5.2m, is funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

It says it has screened 3,000 people in Leeds for the early signs of lung cancer since it launched in 2018.

The charity said lung cancer was frequently diagnosed at a later stage when treatment options were limited and survival rates lower.

Yorkshire Cancer Research hope to check about 7,000 people who are current or former smokers, aged between 55 and 80.

Individuals are invited to attend through their GP and the process includes a lung function test and a special type of x-ray called a screening CT scan.

A mobile unit is being used at locations such as supermarkets and shopping centre car parks to ensure people can easily attend.

Sheila Benson has now received the all-clear after being treated for lung and kidney cancer

'I thought I would double-check'

Sheila Benson attended an appointment at the mobile screening unit at a Leeds shopping centre in November 2018.

"You can always find better things to do, but I thought I would go just to double-check," the 67-year-old former smoker said.

After the screening she was invited to a follow-up appointment at hospital where she was told she had lung cancer.

"They started to do the scans and then found cancer in my kidney too.

"The kidney cancer was a different type of cancer to the lung - so I was doubly lucky that it had been caught in time to operate."

She had her right kidney removed and part of her lung, but has now received the all-clear.

"When it comes to cancer you think you're invincible, but you're not at all. I owe so much to that initial appointment.

"I'm absolutely amazed that there were no symptoms at all."

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: "It's incredible to see the difference the Leeds Lung Health Check is already making to the lives of people living in Leeds.

"Hearing the stories of patients that have needed minimal treatment to eliminate their cancer really brings home the power of early diagnosis as we work to help more people in Yorkshire survive cancer."

The charity said lung cancer is the most common cancer in Yorkshire and in 2017, 4,632 people were diagnosed and 3,311 people died from it.

The trial, delivered in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Leeds and Leeds City Council, aims to test screening in community settings and provide information for future lung screening programmes.