A life-saving diagnosis was made possible thanks to a routine lung cancer screening in a supermarket car park. Sandra Champkins, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, had been living symptom-free for years and didn't smoke – but a scan led to the discovery of a tumour. The NHS's Thames Valley Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which operates out of local supermarkets like her local Tesco, has become a beacon of hope for early detection.
The programme targets individuals aged 55-75 with a history of smoking and uses low-dose CT scans, which take just five minutes to complete. Sandra received an invitation through the programme in 2025 and underwent the scan within three days. It was a decision she credits with saving her life – had it not been for the screening, her cancer might have gone undetected for years.
According to NHS figures, since its inception in July 2022, the programme has conducted 17,675 CT scans, identifying 169 lung cancers. Crucially, a staggering 73% of these diagnoses were made at stages one or two – when cancer is smaller and more treatable. Dr Fiona MacLeod, programme director, stresses that detecting lung cancer before symptoms appear is key to achieving a cure.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK, largely due to late diagnosis. However, this screening programme offers new hope – by targeting those at risk and offering free CT scans, it aims to catch the disease early. Currently, fewer than half of those invited for screening accept the offer – a statistic Sandra is eager to change.
She urges anyone who receives an invitation to 'take up the offer without hesitation' – highlighting the programme's potential to save lives by catching cancer at its earliest stages. The NHS is gradually expanding the programme, aiming to make it accessible to all eligible individuals by 2030.