Call for screening as two thirds of lung cancer cases diagnosed at late stage

Campaigners are demanding Scotland introduce a nationwide screening programme for lung cancer, with ministers being told action is “critical”.

Cancer Research UK made the plea as it revealed more than two thirds (68%) of cases of lung cancer are diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment is less likely to be successful.

The charity is calling on the Scottish Government to immediately roll out a targeted lung cancer screening programme, in a bid to diagnose cases earlier and improve survival rates for sufferers.

Noting that such a scheme is being rolled out in England, Dr Sorcha Hume, public affairs manager for Cancer Research UK in Scotland, said ministers here “cannot afford to fall behind”.

She made the plea as cancer experts, policymakers, patients and charities gathered at the Scottish Cancer Conference in Glasgow on Monday.

Dr Hume said: “Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Scotland and a major driver of cancer inequalities, that’s why action to tackle it is so critical.

“Far too many people in Scotland are being diagnosed with lung cancer at a late stage when there are fewer treatment options.

“This is unacceptable when evidence shows that earlier diagnosis – through targeted lung cancer screening – can potentially help thousands of people live longer, healthier lives.

“This is already being rolled out in England, and Scotland cannot afford to fall behind. The time to act is now.

“We need a clear commitment from the next Scottish Government to fund and deliver a national programme without delay.”

In 2022, the UK National Screening Committee recommended the four nations of the UK bring in targeted screening for the disease for those aged 55-74 who either smoke or used to.

But while screening is being rolled out in England, Cancer Research UK said there are currently no publicly confirmed plans for an equivalent programme in Scotland.

Angela Brown, 53, from West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in June 2023, and said that surgery and radiotherapy were no longer options for her.

Ms Brown, a lifelong smoker, said she had had a “cough off and on” but added that when she was told she had cancer she “kept thinking, should I have visited the doctor earlier?”

She added: “I’d had a cough off and on for some time but life gets in the way. I had been busy, then I’d been on holiday. I thought I had a chest infection so never in a million years did I think I’d get told that I had lung cancer.

“I know the earlier cancers are picked up, the more treatment options there can be. Surgery and radiotherapy were not options for me by the time cancer was diagnosed.”

Ms Brown received chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and was responding well, but was then left heartbroken when her 25-year-old son died on Mother’s Day last year, after becoming severely unwell as a result of respiratory complications caused by scoliosis and cerebral palsy.

Since then, however, she has been told her cancer is dormant, saying she is “living well with cancer right now”.

Ms Brown rang the bell at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, in August to mark the end of her treatment, adding that she intends to “keep going and living life”.

A Scottish Government  spokesperson said:  “We have already committed to a lung screening pilot which will initially concentrate on some of the most deprived areas in Scotland, as the first step to national rollout.

“We know earlier diagnosis is crucial – that is why we published an optimal diagnostic pathway for lung cancer back in 2022, which is supported by almost £3.5 million and sets ambitious timeframes for diagnosis and treatment.

“Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers being diagnosed by our Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services, which are finding cancer faster.”