How This Trailer Leads the People of Leed to Better Life

At least 3,000 individuals have received an early lung screening cancer test through a mobile center.

Leeds Lung Health Check project was funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and is worth at least $6.7 million. The mobile units move from places to places, often picking locations like car parks near the shopping centers or supermarkets to make it accessible to more people.

Among the services they offer are lung function tests, CT scans, and a special type of x-ray screening.

Launched in November of the previous year, the organizers claimed that they already gave life-saving treatment to at least 40 people who were not aware that they have lung cancer. Among them is a 67-year old former smoker Sheila Benson, who attended the screening at a Leeds shopping center in November.

According to Benson, a follow-up appointment after the screening did not just reveal she has lung cancer but also cancer on her kidney. She said this detection "absolutely amazed" her because she did not feel any symptoms at all.

She had her right kidney removed, along with a portion of her lungs. Now, she's cancer-free and living healthily.

The charity claimed that the diagnosis for lung cancer usually happens when it is on the late stage. Late-stage detection also means limited treatment options and a low survival rate.

Dr. Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, called the impact of the project "incredible" as it is already making a huge change to the lives of the residents of Leeds.

It's reported that in Yorkshire, lung cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer.  In 2017 alone, 3,311 out of 4,632 diagnosed patients have died.

Dr. Scott said that the "power of early diagnosis" makes it easier for them to help the cancer patients in Yorkshire survive since this will require minimal treatment to eradicate cancer cells.

The screening mobile units primarily invite smokers or former smokers aged between 55 to 80. They also hope to check about 7,000 more people.

Lung cancer globally...

Cancer is generally defined as "body cells that grow out of control". Lung cancer begins in the lung and could spread to other lymph nodes or other organs of the body, including the brain, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Common symptoms of lung cancer are bad, incurable coughs, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, weight loss, and lethargy. Some people experience repeated bouts of pneumonia or swollen lymph nodes, but most do not experience any symptoms until cancer has reached an advanced stage.

The World Health Organization classified lung cancer as the most common cancer in the world, along with breast cancer. In 2018 alone, at least 2.1 million cases were reported and 1.76 million of them have died. 

In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer after prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. The American Cancer Society reported that in 2019, there are around 228,150 new cases of lung cancer, where 142,670 of them were not able to survive.