New findings from our lung screening pilot published

11 Aug 2020

Findings from a peer-reviewed article on the RM Partners pilot of lung cancer screening have recently been published in Lung Cancer.

One aim of the pilot was to compare two methods of delivering targeted lung cancer screening – a fixed scanner in at the Royal Brompton Hospital, and a mobile CT scanner located in a community setting, in this case a supermarket car park in Hillingdon, to determine if one setting was preferred over the other, and if it affected participation in the project.

The pilot involved inviting over 8,000 ever-smokers, aged 60-75, to a lung health check across two CCGs during August 2018 to April 2019.  Patients from Hammersmith and Fulham were seen at the Royal Brompton Hospital, while Hillingdon patients were seen at the mobile unit. Patients identified as being eligible for a CT scan were offered one at the site of their lung health check.

Previous pilots of lung cancer screening in England only used mobile CT scanners in the community. Our study shows that levels of participant uptake at the fixed site scanner and the mobile CT scanner in the car park were similar. This will contribute to a growing evidence base on patient choice to inform NHS England’s planning on how best to roll out a national lung cancer screening programme.

Our project is continuing to invite patients for a lung health check in Hammersmith and Fulham, with eligible patients in Hillingdon being invited later in the year.

The Lung Cancer article is available here.

More information is available at the West London Lung Health Checks website.