Pioneering Leeds lung cancer screening intiative helps bring early cancer diagnosis to highest level

This follows a major drive by the NHS over the last two years to encourage millions of people to come forward for potentially life-saving checks.

This includes the Leeds Lung Health Check, which has offered people at higher risk of lung cancer the option of being scanned for early signs of the disease.

The trial is now being rolled out nationally by the NHS.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, from Yorkshire Cancer Research, “welcomed the news”, saying: “The figures demonstrate the vital impact that targeted screening programmes have on finding cancers at the earliest possible stage, when there is the best chance of successful treatment.

“The life-saving impact of screening initiatives like the Leeds Lung Health Check is clear, however there is more work to be done to ensure everyone in Yorkshire, no matter who they are or where they live, can get diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.”

However, Dr Griffiths revealed that despite the good news nationally “Yorkshire still lags behind and some parts of the region have the lowest rates of people getting diagnosed with early-stage cancers in the country”.

“Early cancer diagnosis rates in Yorkshire do show improvements over time, however the proportion of people being diagnosed at an early stage is increasing at a slower rate than in England.

“The NHS long term plan has set a target for 75 per cent of all cancers to be diagnosed early by 2028, but data from the charity suggests that Yorkshire will miss this target by seven years.”

Dr Griffiths said that “it is vital that greater investment is made into local initiatives and research that discovers new ways to get people diagnosed early”.