Manchester shopping CT scan saves lives, charity highlights

Macmillan Cancer Support has praised a scheme in Manchester which involved providing smokers with CT scans in shopping centres.

The month-long Manchester Lung Health Checks pilot involved more than 2,500 people with a history of smoking having on-the-spot CT scans at pop-ups set up in shopping centre car parks from June 2016.

According to data collated by University Hospital South Manchester NHS Trust (UHSM): the number of patients discovered at stage four - which is nearly always incurable - reduced from nearly 50 per cent to just over 10 per cent; over 2,500 people were checked, with about half then being offered an immediate CT scan - those scans led to 42 cancers being discovered; nearly 90 per cent of those diagnosed were offered curative treatment; and a further 20 per cent of those who attended were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The news comes at a time where early diagnosis of lung cancer in ‘stages one or two’ significantly increases a patient's chances of survival.

Dr Phil Barber, consultant respiratory physician to the University Hospital of South Manchester and MCIP Clinical Lung Lead said: “The response from patients was extremely encouraging for future early diagnosis lung projects.

“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 that this is not the case, and that many people are keen to attend.

“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.

‘’This is a landmark day for the respiratory health of Manchester people.“

Lynda Thomas, chief executive, Macmillan Cancer Support said: “Our Manchester pilot has achieved extraordinary success in diagnosing lung cancer at an early curative stage.

“Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, claiming the lives of more than 35,000 people a year. Yet thousands of lives could be saved if early diagnosis screening of lung disease could be taken forward.

“The Macmillan Cancer Improvement Partnership in Manchester has found an approach that encourages people at high risk of lung disease to attend and undergo a highly effective diagnostic low-dose CT scan in a mobile unit in their own neighbourhood.

“People at high risk, often living in our most deprived areas, should be given this proven opportunity to improve their chances of surviving lung cancer and other lung diseases.”