A new NHS lung cancer screening programme is being rolled out across Leeds, giving around 90,000 current and former smokers the chance to detect the disease earlier.
Starting in September and running over the next two years, the programme will invite people aged 55 to 74 who are registered with a Leeds GP and currently smoke or have smoked in the past. Invitations will begin with a telephone risk assessment. Those identified as being at higher risk will then be offered a low-dose CT scan.
Mobile scanning units will move between communities across Leeds, with radiography teams providing checks six days a week. The aim is to make screening easier to access and find lung cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
Building on a successful local trial
The programme follows the Leeds Lung Health Check trial, which screened 8,800 people between 2018 and 2024. More than 400 lung cancers were detected, with four in five diagnosed at an early stage.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Yorkshire, according to the supplied figures, with around 3,000 deaths in the region each year. People who develop persistent symptoms, including breathing problems or a cough that will not go away, are advised to contact their GP rather than wait for an invitation.
Why it matters for Britain
The Leeds programme expands access to NHS cancer screening through mobile services based in local communities. Its results will also help support the planned national lung screening rollout, due to be completed by 2030.
