More than 10 per cent of cancers found through a national NHS programme have been detected in Cheshire and Merseyside.

The national NHS lung health check programme, which is currently being rolled out across Warrington, aims to identify early cases of the disease.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, 533 lung cancers have been detected since 2019, with around 80 per cent at an early stage where treatment is more likely to be successful and potentially curative.

This initiative is part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, the largest initiative in NHS history aimed at improving early lung cancer diagnosis.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, 533 lung cancers have been detected since 2019 (Image: Supplied) The programme is currently focused on areas with the highest rates of lung cancer.

NHS data reveals that, since the programme's launch five years ago, 5,037 lung cancers have been detected.

Analysis of the data also shows that more than a third of people diagnosed with lung cancer from the most deprived areas of England were identified at an earlier stage since the checks began.

As a result, these individuals are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late.

The programme, which is delivered regionally by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, invites current and past smokers aged between 55 and 74 to speak with a healthcare professional about their lung health.

If they are deemed to have a higher chance of developing cancer, they are offered a scan of their lungs on a mobile unit.

The programme is delivered regionally by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (Image: Supplied) Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) is responsible for organising the checks in the region, which have already taken place in Knowsley, Halton, Liverpool, and south Sefton.

The checks are also now being rolled out across the Wirral and Warrington.

Jon Hayes, managing director of CMCA, said: "Today’s figures show that the programme in England is already having a huge impact on people’s lives – and this is especially the case in Cheshire and Merseyside where 10 per cent of the total number of lung cancers have been found.

"We will be rolling out lung health checks to the rest of Merseyside and Cheshire in the next few years and we urge everyone who is invited to an appointment to attend it.

"Lung cancer continues to cause more deaths in the UK than any other cancer.

Jon Hayes, managing director of CMCA (Image: Supplied) "Early diagnosis saves lives, which is why lung screening for people at high risk of the disease is so important."

Dame Cally Palmer, NHS Cancer Director, said: "These lung checks can save lives, so it’s fantastic that the NHS has been able to diagnose thousands of people at an early stage when lung cancer is potentially curable.

"The targeted lung health check programme is a new model of care with a community focus, making it easier for people to come forward in a way that works for them, whether in a supermarket car park or a sports stadium."