Implementation of the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme over 5 years

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography has been proven to reduce lung-cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. The UK launched the NHS England Targeted Lung Health Check Programme in 2019, which has now become the national Lung Cancer Screening Programme, with full coverage expected by 2030. Here we present the progress and outcomes of the program. People aged 55-74 were offered low-dose computed tomography of the thorax if they had ever smoked and if risk thresholds, as determined by multivariable models, were met. Delivery of the program is through regionally federated clinical infrastructure and leadership, with national strategic, clinical and economic frameworks. The program has invited over two million people, with 7,193 lung cancers diagnosed-63.1% at tumor, node, metastasis stage 1 and 12.6% stage 2-to March 2025. This has increased the early-stage proportion of lung cancer in England over 5 years, particularly in socioeconomically deprived regions. The NHS England Programme exemplifies how large-scale implementation can be achieved at speed through centralized protocols and effective project management. The program has demonstrated feasibility and scalability in reaching high-risk and underserved populations, but needs to further address inequalities in participation. These findings support adoption of lung cancer screening across the UK and globally, and offer practical tools for international adaptation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Medicine
Published
2026-03-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04292-y
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
36.44
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article

Implementation of the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme over 5 years

Kai En Low, Stephanie Uys, A. Devaraj, Kimuli Ryanna et al.
1 citations
Nature Medicine
Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
36.44
article

Implementation of the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme over 5 years

Kai En Low, Stephanie Uys, A. Devaraj, Kimuli Ryanna, Andrew Hicks, Haarini Sridhar, Peter David Sasieni, Ann Ward, Amelia Randle, Janette Rawlinson, Asif Azam, Jason S. Page, Jason C. Poole, Nicola McMaster, Seamus Grundy, Stuart Baugh, C. Mackinlay, Babu Naidu, Carol Min, Kofi Nimako, Afsar Madathil, Arvind Rajasekaran, Venkateswaran Mahadevan, Anna Walsham, Cyrus Daneshvar, Mark Weatherhead, A Bibby, Jenny Messenger, Sindy Gill, Craig Parylo, J. E. Graves, M.J. Ledson, Helen Powell, D C Desai, J. Fox, Jacqueline Faccenda, Charlotte Graham, Leanne Cheyne, Philip A Crosbie, Anne Mackie, Matthew E J Callister, Elizabeth Ruth Fuller, Michelle Clark, Charlotte Smith, Poppy Richards, Kate Brain, Tim Windle, Sally Mouland, David R. Baldwin, Martin Grange, Neal Navani, Sam M. Janes, Richard W. Lee, Gurnak Singh Dosanjh, Haval Balata, Christopher Hale, Jessica Abell, Samantha L. Quaife, Richard Booton, Thilan Rajith Bartholomeuz, Liz Rochelle, Ellis Akhurst, Arjun Nair, Richard Brindle, Michael Lawrie, Baiju Saradananda Prasad, Jennifer Lisa Dickson, Peter Johnson, Stephen McSwiney, Matt Gabriel Gallardo, Christopher James Warburton, Robert C. Rintoul, Peer Mohamad Mohamed, Michael Woodall, John Howells, Rabinder Singh Randhawa, Ian Hume, Rebecca Taylor
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography has been proven to reduce lung-cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. The UK launched the NHS England Targeted Lung Health Check Programme in 2019, which has now become the national Lung Cancer Screening Programme, with full coverage expected by 2030. Here we present the progress and outcomes of the program. People aged 55-74 were offered low-dose computed tomography of the thorax if they had ever smoked and if risk thresholds, as determined by multivariable models, were met. Delivery of the program is through regionally federated clinical infrastructure and leadership, with national strategic, clinical and economic frameworks. The program has invited over two million people, with 7,193 lung cancers diagnosed-63.1% at tumor, node, metastasis stage 1 and 12.6% stage 2-to March 2025. This has increased the early-stage proportion of lung cancer in England over 5 years, particularly in socioeconomically deprived regions. The NHS England Programme exemplifies how large-scale implementation can be achieved at speed through centralized protocols and effective project management. The program has demonstrated feasibility and scalability in reaching high-risk and underserved populations, but needs to further address inequalities in participation. These findings support adoption of lung cancer screening across the UK and globally, and offer practical tools for international adaptation.

Nature Medicine
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), St Bartholomew's Hospital (GB), University of Leeds (GB), Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), University of Nottingham (GB), Institute of Cancer Research (GB), University of Liverpool (GB), Queen Mary University of London (GB), University of Hull (GB), Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University of Cambridge (GB), Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), James Paget University Hospital (GB), George Eliot Hospital (GB), Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), Nottinghamshire County Council (GB), Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB), West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Peterborough City Hospital (GB), Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University Hospital Coventry (GB), Milton Keynes Hospital (GB), Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (GB), Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Harefield Hospital (GB), Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Sandwell College (GB), Northern Health and Social Care Trust (GB), University of Bristol (GB), Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (GB), Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Clinical Research Atlanta (US), Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (GB), South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Dorset County Hospital (GB), University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (GB), Merseytravel (GB), Ipsos (United Kingdom) (GB), Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (GB), Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (GB), University of Southampton (GB), NHS England, University College London (GB), Imperial College London (GB), Cardiff University (GB), University of Birmingham (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
36.44
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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