A new, €4.9 million lung cancer pilot programme, funded by the Irish Cancer Society, has led to patients being diagnosed at an earlier, treatable stage after having no symptoms.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the State, claiming more lives than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined.
Six in every 10 lung cancers are detected at a late stage, when it is harder to treat. The pilot programme was designed to identify lung cancer and other lung conditions before symptoms appear and so improve patient outcomes.
In a clinical trial, individuals at a high risk of developing lung cancer were invited to attend community-based mobile scanning units for lung health checks in north Dublin and the northeast region.
One of those patients who underwent curative lung cancer surgery via the Lung…