Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 13% of all new cancer cases with a lower proportion being diagnosed at an early stage. The introduction of lung cancer screening is helping to address this; however, it is still in its roll out phase and not available in all areas, including on the Isle of Wight. It also only covers smokers over 55 and is for asymptomatic patients. Other initiatives are still needed to quickly identify those with concerning symptoms and investigate them.

The aim of this project was to pilot the feasibility of an opportunistic service whereby community pharmacists can refer these patients, who fulfil NG12 criteria, directly for chest X-ray. The overall aim of this was earlier identification of patients with lung or pleural cancer. The pilot ran from July 2024-March 2025.

Published: November 2025