The NHS lung screening programme in Northumberland and North Tyneside has found dozens of cancers so far, with the majority in their early stages.

The scheme started around a year ago, with eligible patients – current or former smokers aged 55 to 74 – being invited to take part on a rolling basis through to 2027.

The first stage of the process is a telephone call to assess your risk of lung cancer. Those with a higher chance of getting lung cancer now or in the future are invited to have a low-dose CT scan.

In Northumberland and North Tyneside, the checks are carried out by specialist staff at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

So far, the trust has carried out 7,200 checks. This has led to around 3,000 scans.

From these, 30 cancers have been found and 25 were stage 1 or 2. There were also six incidental cancers found – cancers affecting other parts of the body.

Dr David Cooper, consultant respiratory physician for Northumbria Healthcare, said: “We know that finding lung cancer early makes a huge difference to the treatments we can offer and the outcomes, so it’s fantastic that the programme is helping us find these patients when we can give them more options.”

There are often no signs or symptoms of lung cancer at an early stage. As a result, around seven in 10 lung cancer patients get diagnosed too late to be cured. Lung cancer screening helps find problems early, often before people notice anything is wrong.

If eligible, you will get a letter inviting you for your check. Go to www.northumbria.nhs.uk/lung-screening for more information.