The mobile early cancer diagnosis scheme of National Health Service (NHS) England has led to hundreds of patients being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier, according to a release issued on 19 April.
To date, the initiative, which is part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, has diagnosed 600 people with lung cancer earlier by making screenings more accessible, the release claimed.
The initiative has resulted in 77% of cancers being caught at stage one or two, giving patients a much better chance of having successful outcomes. In 2018, fewer than one-third of cancers were caught at these early stages, according to NHS England. People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are about 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught later.
Mobile trucks are scanning those most at risk from lung cancer, including current and ex-smokers, inviting them for a test of their lungs and a chest scan for those at highest risk.
So far, 23 existing truck sites have issued up to 25,000 invitations monthly. Shortly, an additional 20 NHS lung truck sites are expected to go live with the capacity to invite 750,000 more people.
