WE ALL WANT TO FIND WAYS TO LIVE NOT JUST LONGER, BUT BETTER. HERE, GP DR DAWN HARPER SHARES HER TIPS ON QUITTING SMOKING, AND REVEALS HOW HOPE IS ON THE HORIZON IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LUNG CANCER…
Lung cancer claims 35,000 British lives each year, more than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined. It is the third most common cancer in the UK and, sadly, the biggest cancer killer. Lung cancer currently has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, mainly because it tends to be diagnosed at a later stage – but this could be about to change.
In June, the government announced that it will be implementing a lung cancer screening programme to include 325,000 new patients identified as being at risk. It will cost £270 million a year, and is expected to detect as many as 9,000 people with lung cancer at an earlier stage. Like all cancers, the earlier lung cancer is diagnosed, the better the prognosis, so this initiative really could be a game changer, given that 60 per cent of people diagnosed with lung cancer at stage one will survive for five years or more compared to just 4 per cent of those diagnosed at stage four.
The scheme will target anyone aged between 55 and 74 who is registered with a GP and known to be a current or former smoker, and will invite them for screening and encourage them to engage with smoking cessation services. Following assessment, those deemed to be at high risk will be invited for a specialist scan every two years. Many of those scans will be done in mobile units parked in easily accessible places like supermarket car parks. Currently, 20 per cent of England has a targeted lung health check scheme. By 2025, aims are to have 40 per cent coverage, with full implementation by 2030. This is currently just England, but there is a drive to ensure it is also adopted by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Smokers have been targeted for this screening as smoking is a major risk factor for developing lung cancer. In fact, around 70 per cent of lung cancers are linked to smoking and the risk increases with the length of exposure rather than the actual number of cigarettes smoked. So, smoking one pack of 20 cigarettes a day for 40 years is more dangerous than smoking two packs a day for 20 years. The good news, though, is that after about 15 years of stopping smoking, an individual’s risk of developing lung cancer falls to that of a non-smoker.
The NHS has invested heavily over the years in smoking cessation clinics. Your GP will know
