If you’re aged between 55 and 74 and have smoked, you have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
It can be hard to spot lung cancer. There are often no signs of symptoms at an early stage and around seven in ten cancer patients are diagnosed too late, meaning there is less chance that treatment will make them better.
Targeted Lung Health Checks help find problems earlier when you might not even know there is anything wrong. It helps save lives because treatment can start sooner and is also more likely to work. Research shows that a lung scan can help reduce your risk of dying from lung cancer by around 25%.
Most lung cancers grow slowly, which means they can be found at an early stage by a lung scan. The Targeted Lung Health Check Programme wants to check your lungs are working well. It’s rare that any problems are found but if they are it means we can act quickly and provide treatment.
People who have smoked and are aged 55 to 74 will be contacted via information from GP lists and asked if they will take part in the voluntary check. The programme aims to reach 62,000 people over two years.
What can you expect during the Targeted Lung Health Check?
The check could be by telephone or face to face in the hospital. You will be asked some questions about your breathing, the health of your lungs, your lifestyle, family and medical history. All of this helps identify your risk of lung cancer.
If there are no problems the check is over and you don’t need to do anything else. If you have problems with your breathing or lungs, but don’t need a scan, you will be referred back to your GP.
If you have a higher change of developing lung cancer now or in the future you will be asked to come in for a scan. This is a special CT (Computer Tomography) scan that uses a very low dose of radiation and a computer to take a detailed picture of your lungs.
There are four possible results:
- No problems found – This means no signs of lung cancer were seen, or other problems on the scan. You will be written to with the results and asked to come back for another scan in two years. It is still possible that lung cancer could develop between scans or that the scan may have missed it. If you notice anything that is not normal for you before your next scan, speak to your GP straight away.
- Second scan needed – This usually means there is something on the scan which is hard to identify. It is probably something harmless, but because it could be more serious you will be asked to come for another scan in around three months, just to check.
- Further tests needed – This means something was seen on the scan and you need further tests. This could include a biopsy – a small sample of cells that are looked at under a microscope.
- Another problem found – This means there is no sign of lung cancer but there are signs of other problems on the scan that may need treatment or medical advice.
In all cases you and your GP will be written to with more information.
More information about the programme can found on this TLHC_Leaflet.
