Car park cancer screening scheme to be expanded to increase early detection

Mobile cancer screenings will be offered in shopping centre car parks in an effort to boost early diagnosis rates.

According to ITV News, potential lung cancer patients in certain areas will be offered the opportunity to access mobile screening units to catch any potential cancer early.

The pilot screening, hosted by Manchester and funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, invited 2,500 people aged between 55 and 74 with a history of smoking for a lung health check in mobile units in car parks, community hubs and shopping centres.

One case of cancer was detected for every 33 members of the public screened, ITV News reported. Four of the five cancers detected during the pilot screening were stage one or two, with some in even earlier stages.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens announced that the scheme would be rolled out in four areas around the country. The project in Manchester will be extended, while cancer hubs will provide screening services in London, the North and part of Yorkshire.

"NHS cancer care is the best it's ever it's ever been, with cancer survival increasing every year," Stevens will say at the Economist War On Cancer event in London.

"Over the next 18 months that NHS will be rolling out new mobile and home screening kits to detect cancers earlier, when they can be treated best."

Dany Bell, the specialist adviser for treatment and recovery at Macmillan Cancer Support, told ITV News: "The earlier that someone is diagnosed with cancer, the better their chance of successful treatment is.

"So it's great news that this pilot scheme is now going to be rolled out across other parts of England.

"Lung cancer is a notoriously difficult type to diagnose at an early stage, and initiatives such as this make it easier for high-risk people to get their health checked."

According to Sky News, a new audit shows lung cancer operations have reached a new high. In 2015, there were 5,936 lung cancer removal operations in English hospitals, up from 5,657 the previous year.

A report by the Royal College of Physicians also revealed that survival rates for patients after a month and three months have reached their best-ever levels. Around 98.1% of patients were alive after 30 days and 96.3% after 90 days. Sky News noted that one-year survival rates are steady at around 89%.