Past and current smokers in North Devon will be invited for lung cancer screening in a drive to improve earlier diagnosis and save more lives.

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the Peninsula Cancer Alliance, and InHealth are working together to deliver the Lung Cancer Screening programme.

From April, North Devon patients aged 55-74 years old who are current or ex-smokers, or those with a known history of exposure to occupational hazards, will be invited in phases by InHealth for a lung health check.

Devon has one of the highest mortality rates for lung cancer in England and is one of 43 places across the country to run the Lung Cancer Screening programme. The programme is already underway in Plymouth and will be rolled out to East Devon later this year.

Dr Thomas Burden, Respiratory Consultant at Royal Devon said, “We’re really pleased to be introducing the lung cancer screening for our patients in North Devon before rolling the programme out to Eastern patients later in the year. This is the biggest positive change to lung cancer care since I became a consultant. The programme will save lives by detecting lung cancer earlier, when treatment is more effective.”

Dr Kate Cockcroft, Respiratory Consultant at Royal Devon added, “Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and is often diagnosed at advanced stages when treatment options are limited. If you’re invited for a lung health check then I really recommend that you attend. Patients have told us that the screening is straightforward and we know that it can be lifesaving”.

Phil Luke, Director of Transformation and Operations (Eastern) said “Early detection of lung cancer leads to better treatment outcomes, with people diagnosed at stage 1 having a 5-year survival rate of over 90%. This contrasts with a 5-year survival rate of only 4% for those diagnosed at stage 4. We’re therefore delighted to be starting lung cancer screening to spot signs earlier and ultimately save more lives."

The lung cancer screening takes place in two stages. The first stage is an initial phone assessment with a specially trained healthcare professional. If necessary, this is followed by a simple scan of the lungs using a low dose CT scanner. This will take place at the mobile unit that is currently stationed in the car park at ASDA Barnstaple.

To date the NHS Lung Cancer Screening programme, has seen more than three quarters (77%) of cancers caught at either stage one or two, giving patients a much better chance of beating the illness. This compares to less than a third of cancers caught at either stage one or two in 2018.

Photo shows lung cancer screening unit stationed at ASDA Barnstaple