Supermarket lung cancer checks find 10,000 cases in England

Mobile NHS scanning units, strategically placed in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and high streets across England, have detected lung cancer in over 10,000 individuals, new figures reveal.

Crucially, more than three-quarters of these cases were identified at early stages one and two, significantly boosting treatment success rates, NHS England confirmed.

This vital initiative forms part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which began in 2019, specifically targeting areas most affected by the disease. Early detection is paramount, with officials stating that patients diagnosed in the initial stages are 13 times more likely to survive for five years compared to those whose cancer is found later.

Mobile NHS scanning units, strategically placed in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and high streets across England, have detected lung cancer in over 10,000 individuals, new figures reveal.

Crucially, more than three-quarters of these cases were identified at early stages one and two, significantly boosting treatment success rates, NHS England confirmed.

This vital initiative forms part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which began in 2019, specifically targeting areas most affected by the disease. Early detection is paramount, with officials stating that patients diagnosed in the initial stages are 13 times more likely to survive for five years compared to those whose cancer is found later.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: "Lung cancer checks and scans save lives, so it’s fantastic the NHS has now diagnosed over 10,000 people – the majority at an early stage, when treatment is most effective. The Lung Cancer Screening Programme has been designed around where people already are, bringing scanners into their local communities to make it easier for people to get checked."

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 25 May 2026