Scanners in car parks ‘could spot lung cancer early enough to cure’
UTTING mobile CT scanners in shopping centre car parks could quadruple the number of people whose lung cancer is caught early, research suggests.
A project funded by Macmillan Cancer Support found that 80 per cent of lung cancers detected through mobile screening were at the potentially curable stage 1 or 2, compared with 20pc picked up through the NHS.
More than 46,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK every year and it is the third most common cancer in the country.
Around three-quarters of cases are diagnosed at a late stage because symptoms - which include a prolonged cough - can be vague or do not occur.
The three-month research project, which took place in Manchester last year, involved more than 2,500 people having on-the-spot low-dose CT scans.
All the participants were current or past smokers and all were aged 55 to 74.
Overall, 42 cancers were discovered, with most of those at an early stage where curative treatment could be offered.
Just 10pc of the cancers were stage 4 - which is usually incurable and can lead to rapid death.
Dr Phil Barber, consultant respiratory physician to the University Hospital of South Manchester and clinical lead for the project, said: “We have hard evidence now that CT scanning high-risk patients helps us to identify cancers early enough to cure them, and we have also picked up many patients with other lung conditions at a much earlier stage than would otherwise have been possible.
“It is often assumed that people living in more deprived areas, like those chosen for this pilot, do not usually take up screening opportunities, but we have demonstrated this is not the case, and that many people are keen to attend.”
Lynda Thomas, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Our Manchester pilot has achieved extraordinary success in diagnosing lung cancer at an early, curative stage.
“People at high should be given risk this proven opportunity to improve their chances of surviving lung cancer and other lung diseases.”
Michael Brady, 64, a retired factory operative from Harpurhey in North Manchester, was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer during the research project.
He said: “I’m having treatment now and I feel incredibly lucky that my lung cancer has been found at such an early and treatable stage.”