The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme has detected 10,678 lung cancers using mobile scanning trucks stationed in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and busy high streets, according to new data.
More than three-quarters of those cancers were caught at stage one or two. Patients diagnosed at the earliest stages are nearly 13 times more likely to survive for five years compared with those diagnosed late.
"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," said Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England.
The program targets smokers aged 55 to 74 and has now reached half of England's most at-risk groups. The government aims for 75% of cancer patients to survive five years or more by 2035. By 2030, the lung screening program is expected to diagnose up to 50,000 cancers and invite over 6 million people for lung health checks.
Health Secretary James Murray stated, "Catching cancer early is a powerful way to save lives and ensure people live better with cancer."