The NHS is now diagnosing thousands of lung cancer cases early, thanks to its supermarket screening initiative, new figures show. 

Since the programme began in 2019, 10,678 lung cancers have been detected - the majority of which were caught in its earliest stages.

Early diagnosis is crucial, with those diagnosed at the earliest stages nearly 13 times more likely to survive their disease for five years than those who catch it late. 

The programme, which involves testing patients in mobile screening trucks, was launched in a bid to improve Britain's poor lung cancer survival rates, with the disease being the biggest cancer killer in the UK. 

The trucks - which are also stationed in sports stadiums and busy high streets - offer people aged 55 to 74 with a history of smoking an 'MOT for their lungs'. 

Areas with the highest death rates from lung cancer were prioritised, with half of England's most at-risk people now having been screened for the deadly disease. 

These are typically deprived regions that have or have had high rates of smoking, which accounts for around 70 per cent of cases. 

The initiative is intended to encourage more 'hard to reach' groups, including poorer people, men and lifelong smokers, to get tested. 

Under the new National Cancer Plan, the Government is aiming for 75 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years or more by 2035 - and the national rollout of lung cancer screening is a key part of this. 

Ken Roberts, 74, from Manchester, is just one of the thousands of ex-smokers who have benefitted from the programme. 

The grandfather-of-five was invited for a lung health check at a mobile scanning unit at his local Morrisons. 

But because he had no symptoms, Mr Roberts initially declined. 

A few days later, he changed his mind and underwent the lung health check. Here, he was asked about his lifestyle to find out more about his risk of lung cancer. 

'In the end, I went because it was so convenient, and I could park really easily,' he said. 

Mr Roberts was then invited for a CT scan to take a more detailed picture of his lungs, after the initial check raised some concerns about his lung health. 

Further tests and a biopsy at Wythenshawe Hospital confirmed he had stage 1 lung cancer, which was thankfully treatable with surgery. 

He is now cancer-free and feels 'incredibly positive' about his experience. 

'Now I just feel really lucky that I went for that lung health check as I so nearly didn't go,' he said. 

'I'm now telling everyone to go for theirs when they get the invite.

'Without this scheme many of us – like me – wouldn’t have known we had lung cancer and got help for it,' he added. 

The Government is hoping the nationwide rollout of the programme by 2030 will lead to over six million people across England being invited for a lung health check; and is expected to support the diagnosis of up to 50,000 cancers. 

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England national clinical director for cancer, said: 'Lung cancer checks and scans save lives, so it’s fantastic the NHS has now diagnosed over 10,000 people — the majority at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.'

He continued: 'The Lung Cancer Screening Programme has been designed around where people already are, bringing scanners into their local communities to make it easier for people to get checked.

'It is great to see the positive public response to this programme, and rolling this out nationwide will help us save even more lives in the future.' 

Lung cancer is a particularly brutal form of the disease because it's hard to detect until its later stages when it's already too late for potentially life-saving treatment. 

But the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, the biggest initiative in NHS history aimed at improving early lung cancer diagnosis, hopes to overturn this grim reality.

'Catching cancer early is a powerful way to save lives and ensure people live better with cancer, and this programme shows what the NHS can achieve when we take healthcare to people, rather than waiting for them to come to us,' Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, James Murray said.

'Under our National Cancer Plan, we want three in four people diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years, and earlier diagnosis is crucial to achieving that. 

'I urge anyone who receives an invitation to take it up - it could be the most important thing you do this year.'

The NHS is similarly urging everyone invited for a lung health check to attend, regardless of whether they think they are in good health or not.  

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive officer, Michelle Mitchell, added: 'It’s great to see that lung screening in England has already helped detect thousands of cases at an early stage in people at high risk of lung cancer – something Cancer Research UK has campaigned for over many years. 

'Early diagnosis significantly improves people’s chances of survival, so this programme is key to tackling the UK’s leading cause of cancer death and helping to reduce stark inequalities in cancer outcomes in England.

'To maintain this progress, the UK Government must deliver on its pledge to rollout targeted lung screening in England by 2030 and ensure there are enough staff and resources to reach more people, and ultimately save more lives from lung cancer.'