Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin is the latest part of the West Midlands to go live with a Lung Cancer Screening Service.

It is the sixth service in the region to become operational.

The Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin service will be phased over 4 years, starting in areas with the highest levels of smoking and lung cancer prevalence and deprivation.

Lung cancer screening is aimed at early detection – it can often detect problems before a patient has any symptoms and usually leads to successful treatment.

Harvir Singh, Senior Programme Manager for Early Diagnosis at the West Midlands Cancer Alliance said: “The rollout of lung screening is already making a real difference in diagnosing cancers earlier. Over the past year alone, 355 cancers have been detected through the programme, with 77% diagnosed at an early stage (stages 1 and 2). This earlier detection gives patients the best possible chance of receiving curative treatment and ultimately saves lives.”

Despite the large drop in smoking and the banning of smoking in public indoor spaces, around 43,000 people a year are still diagnosed with lung cancer, including some who have never smoked.

Other areas of West Midlands that have a screening service are Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent; Birmingham and Solihull; Coventry and Warwickshire; Sandwell and Dudley.You can find out more about Lung Cancer Screening from the WMCA or from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board.