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<\/p>\nA mobile lung screening unit designed to give patients a better chance by detecting cancer early, has seen about 3,000 people and diagnosed more than 25 cancers in its first year.<\/p>\n
The In Health mobile unit, at Forest Hills Golf Course near Coleford, Gloucestershire, offers “lung MOTs” to people aged between 55-74 who are current or former smokers.<\/p>\n
Patient John Bannister said: “It was a friendly experience with no worries and was dead easy – I just sat down and it didn’t hurt. Just go and do it.”<\/p>\n
The NHS plans to make mobile units available across the country by 2030, to meet its goal of 75% of cancers being diagnosed by stage one or two.<\/p>\n
More from Gloucestershire<\/p>\n
More than 40,000 people across the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire region (SWAG) have been seen and almost 450 lung cancers – which patients were unaware they had, – found, an NHS spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Dr Anne Bibby, clinical director of lung cancer screening for SWAG, said the CT scanner is like a chest x-ray “times 1,000” because the imaging is so in-depth.<\/p>\n
“It’s not noisy, not claustrophobic and it’s over in five minutes,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Being in Tesco’s [in St Oswald’s, Gloucester] and the golf course is about making it as accessible as possible.<\/p>\n
“You can get on with your shopping, get on with your day – so it is not a big deal.”<\/p>\n
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Dr Bibby said a key part of the scheme was to make the units as accessible as possible by having free parking [BBC]<\/p>\n
Dr Henry Steer, lung cancer lead for Gloucestershire and SWAG, said they are looking for nodules in the scans.<\/p>\n
“Nodules are a tiny speck or lump on the lung which may be a few millimetres across,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Nodules in the lung are common – and most don’t turn out to be cancer – but all cancers will start out as a nodule.”<\/p>\n
He went on to say that anything out of the ordinary on the scans is reviewed and anything that needs further investigation is referral to hospital.<\/p>\n
“In 75% of cancers detected in screening, we will be able to offer curative treatment, so most screen detected cancers are curable,” he added.<\/p>\n
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