The Leeds Lung Health Check has now closed to recruitment. Some participants in the study will continue to have scans to review lung nodules seen on previous scans until October 2026. They will be contacted directly about this.

Lung cancer screening has now been approved by the NHS in England, and an NHS-funded lung cancer screening service ( Lung health checks – NHS ) is expected to start in Leeds sometime in 2026. People will be invited by letter and phone-call once the service starts. Please note that this new screening service will be delivered by a different team from the Leeds Lung Health Check, so the Leeds Lung Health Check team will not be able to answer questions about future service.

Healthy Lungs

Your lungs work hard every minute of your life.
Looking after them to ensure they stay in good working order is really important. These are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your lungs stay healthy.

Keep active
Everyone benefits a lot from small amounts of regular exercise. It really is worth keeping active.

Eat Healthily
A balanced diet will help protect against infections. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your lungs.

Stay smoke-free
Smoking damages the lungs and is a leading cause of lung disease. Passive smoking is also harmful. Stopping smoking is the most important step a person can take to protect their lungs. If you are a smoker it is never too late to stop and we can provide help to make quitting easier. Please contact the free stop smoking service (called One You Leeds) either by phoning 0800 169 4219 or by clicking here.

One You Leeds offer six free 20-30 minute sessions with classes available across Leeds. You’ll receive a mixture of support and medication to help you quit. Research shows you are far more likely to quit successfully if you combine support and medication rather than just using willpower alone.

Get coughs checked
A persistent cough can be an early warning sign of lung disease, including COPD and lung cancer. Other symptoms to look out for are feeling more breathless or noticing chest pain. Don’t ignore or dismiss these symptoms; go and speak to your GP.