A new study could improve screening and early detection of lung cancer for high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma survivors, following a £1.3 million funding award.
The University of Manchester project has been awarded the grant through the NHS Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call with support from SBRI Healthcare (Small Business Research Initiative) as part of a new, unique national partnership which could save lives and improve quality of life.
Researchers in Manchester will implement an innovative lung cancer risk assessment tool and an adapted care pathway for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
The new multi-centre study started in June 2025 and will be running for two years within the existing NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme at 10 Cancer Alliances across England, including Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance leading the initiative.
Study lead Dr Kim Linton, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester and Living With and Beyond Cancer Co-Theme Lead at Manchester BRC, said: “It is crucial that Hodgkin lymphoma survivors can access screening to detect lung cancer at an early stage, when it is more treatable.”
Every year, around 2,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system (part of the immune system).
Although it is a highly curable cancer, treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy to the chest and lungs increase the risk of second cancers occurring in later life. This risk increases further for people who smoke.
Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma are six times more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population.
Developed in Manchester, the new UK-wide programme aims to screen 500 Hodgkin lymphoma survivors over two years, which could detect early lung cancer in an estimated 10-12 people.
Hodgkin lymphoma can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75.
The most common symptom is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.
Second cancers, such as lung cancer or breast cancer, can develop more than 10 years after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Survivors can help to reduce their risk of a second cancer by adopting a healthy lifestyle through not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight with a balanced diet, and getting regular exercise.
Dr Linton said: “Most Hodgkin lymphoma survivors do not meet current lung cancer screening criteria, so we hope the success of this study will support an application for routine adoption across England and Wales.
“In Manchester, we have been working on a lung cancer screening programme for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors for many years, including a pilot screening study at The Christie where we detected 3 lung cancers in 102 people who had showed no symptoms.
“This research helped us to design the national programme and confirmed that our proposed study meets the needs of this high-risk patient group.
“This work also builds on Manchester’s previous track record of successfully implementing breast cancer screening for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors within the national breast cancer screening programme.”
The new study will be open to Hodgkin lymphoma survivors aged between 45 and 74 who smoke or have previously smoked.
It will have an embedded programme to identify and tackle health inequalities, including people where their risk of lung cancer is highest, such as those with lower socioeconomic status, men and older people.
It will help address barriers to screening participation, such as fear of cancer diagnosis, low perceived risk of cancer and issues of cost, travel and time off work.
Screening will take place at convenient community-based settings to encourage participation, including in mobile clinics at supermarket car parks.
Researchers will actively promote screening participation for people with the highest smoking prevalence.
Participants will be offered health education and stop smoking advice to encourage supported self-management to prevent lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and other significant illnesses, which could lead to improved survivorship and reduced healthcare costs.
The Manchester-based project is part of the NIHR Manchester BRC’s Living with and Beyond Cancer Theme, which aims to transform the detection of cancer recurrence and second cancers to improve quality of life and treatment outcomes for survivors.
Researchers will also be collaborating with the NIHR Manchester BRC’s Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme, which aims to reduce cancer burden across society through implementing prevention and early detection strategies.
