Published on 8 September 2021
Almost a thousand people in Liverpool have had their lungs checked in a new NHS programme which aims to find cancer and other health problems at an early stage.
Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed later than other cancers because often there are no signs or symptoms at an early stage.
The Targeted Lung Health Check Programme is a new pilot scheme designed to identify signs of cancer at an early stage when it is much more treatable – ultimately saving move lives.
The lung heath check finds out how well a participant’s lungs are working. Most of the time no issue is seen, but if cancer or an issue with a participant’s breathing or lungs is found early, treatment could be simpler and more successful.
Liverpool is the first area of Cheshire and Merseyside to have the checks restarted in this new wave of the programme and they are being offered to people between the ages of 55 and 74 who are current or former smokers and at greater risk of lung cancer.
Almost 3,700 eligible people have been sent a letter inviting them for a check since the programme was relaunched in Liverpool in July.
Almost 1,000 people have discussed their lung health in the first stage of the process with around 800 patients then being referred for a further test – a low dose CT scan which takes a detailed image of the person’s lungs to detect early forms of cancer.
The checks were carried out from 2016 in Liverpool but were paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 17,000 people attended screenings and more that 120 were diagnosed with cancer, mostly in the early stages of development. The scheme also spotted other conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
The programme was relaunched in July, with checks place in a mobile CT scanner, which is on the car park of Walton Asda until December.
Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) has been working with CCGs in Liverpool, Knowsley and Halton, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and the Roy Castle Foundation on the NHS programme, which is initially focussing on the 23 areas of the country with the highest mortality rates of lung cancer.
Jon Hayes, CMCA Managing Director, said: “It is great news that almost 1,000 people have had their lungs checked after the programme restarted in Liverpool last month.
“Hopefully, the tests will pick up any signs of cancer early so treatment can take place more quickly and so be more successful.
“The checks will be rolled out to Knowsley later in 2021, to Halton from early 2022 and then, hopefully, they will be extended to all areas across Cheshire and Merseyside in the coming years.”
Darren McGuinness, of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of the organisers of the progamme, said: “It has been an exciting opportunity and a privilege to work with key stakeholders across different organisations to develop the TLHC programme.
“It is delightful that the programme is seeing so many participants since resumption in July and this can only benefit the participants ‘lung’ health. Most importantly it is great to see that we are picking up cancers at an early stage which is what the programme is all about.”
For more information about the lung health check programme in Liverpool, see: https://www.liverpoolccg.nhs.uk/health-and-services/healthy-lungs/