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Efforts to help improve the early detection of lung cancer have seen more than 20,000 people in part of north-east England take health checks over the last two years.

Invites have been sent to people in Sunderland and South Tyneside aged between 55 and 74 and who have at some point smoked.

As part of a national programme, the area's NHS trust began sending the invites in October 2022.

To date, more than 80 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer following scans while other cancers have also been identified.

In all, more than 66,000 people have been invited to take part, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The check involves an initial risk assessment questionnaire being carried out, usually over the phone and lasting between 15 and 20 minutes.

Anyone calculated to have a high score will then be booked for a CT scan.

A meeting of Sunderland City Council's health and wellbeing scrutiny committee heard the project had "already proven its worth" by helping uncover cancers at an early stage.

Programme manager Helen Bone said South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was "keen to promote it and spread the word".

"It's something that we have to keep working at. Just sitting in the hospital and sending out letters isn't going to get the results that we need, and it's proven that it's working, so it's about educating people as to the risks of smoking.

"Many will say I stopped smoking a long time ago. It doesn’t matter.

"Rule of thumb, if you smoked more than 100 cigarettes in your lifetime, you are eligible."

The committee heard evidence shows up to two in every three long-term smokers are killed by tobacco.

Levels of smoking in Sunderland and South Tyneside are more than 15%.

The regional average is 14.8% while the national figure sits at 13%.

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