Who can have Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) in Southampton?

You may be invited Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) in Southampton if you are:

• Aged between 55 and 74 years old
• A current or past smoker
• Registered to a GP in Southampton, Eastleigh, the New Forest, Totton or Lymington.

If you meet these criteria, you may have already been contacted in the past and decided not to book a Lung Cancer Screening appointment. This could mean that you might be invited to take part in the UH-CAN LUNG study, not to check for signs of cancer, but to see if you would find home urine collection acceptable for future lung cancer screening.

You can still book an NHS Lung Cancer Screening appointment, by calling 023 8120 8883, or emailing the Southampton LCS service at LCSops@uhs.nhs.uk.

If you meet the criteria above but have not been invited for an LCS appointment, you may still be contacted by post in the future, as the Southampton LCS service continues to invite local people to book screening appointments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why have I been contacted to take part in the UH-CAN LUNG study?

If you have received an invitation to take part in the study, this means that records show you have been invited to make a Lung Cancer Screening appointment by the Southampton LCS team, and have decided not to take part.

We are trying to find out if people who don’t take part in Lung Cancer Screening might find it acceptable to be tested at home in future, using a self-collected urine sample. The UH-CAN LUNG study will measure how many people who don’t engage with LCS choose to take part in a urine screening programme instead, and what people think of this option. This study hopes to improve the options available for future cancer screening programmes.

Do I have to give a urine sample?

No, you can choose whether to take part in the study. You can also choose to take part and just return the consent form and questionnaire without a urine sample if you wish. Your health care and legal rights will not be affected whether you take part or not.

We encourage you to read the full information provided before you decide whether to take part, or whether to give a urine sample.

What will the urine sample be used for?

The University of Southampton Tissue Bank will store your sample using a unique code, so you cannot be identified. A small amount of your sample will be tested by the University of Southampton to see how diluted it is (how much water is in the urine sample). Another small amount will be sent to our collaborator, a company in Sweden called Elypta AB, who will test the quality of the urine. This will tell us whether the samples people give are good enough quality to be used in cancer testing after being sent in the post, or whether they deteriorate and might not be useful for testing.

Elypta AB are working on developing a urine test for cancer, but this has not been tested and approved yet. This means any results from the test will not tell us if you are at risk of cancer, and therefore will not be shared with you or your doctors. The results however will help cancer researchers decide whether urine samples could be used in future screening programmes. You can read more about the tests that Elypta are developing on their website: https://www.elypta.com/studies

We encourage you to take part in the NHS Lung Cancer Screening programme if you are invited.

How will my data be kept safe?

Your samples and data will be stored using a unique code, instead of your name. You can see this code on the stickers supplied with your study kit, if you have been invited to take part.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is the Sponsor for the study, and is responsible for looking after your data. To find out who your data might be securely shared with, and how it will be protected, please download the Participant Information Sheet, or refer to the one provided in your study kit.

Is the study testing for lung cancer?

No. The urine will be tested to see how dilute it is, and whether it is of good enough quality to be tested for cancer after being sent in the post. The study will not generate any results about your health, and no results will be shared with you or your doctors.

Will I be contacted again?

You will not be contacted by the UH-CAN LUNG study team again once you have received your invite. If you choose to take part, you can return your consent form, questionnaire and urine sample using pre-paid postage to the study team. If you choose not to take part, you do not have to do anything.

You may receive reminders by post or text message from the Lung Cancer Screening programme. These reminders are not part of the UH-CAN LUNG study, and we encourage you to engage with the Lung Cancer Screening programme if you are invited.

Media and Press Coverage

Press releases, video clips and other external websites:

(University of Southampton cannot accept responsibility for external websites)

Study team and contacts

The UH-CAN Lung study is being coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

Trial Manager: Hannah Warming

If you would like to contact the study team, you can do this using the below information.

Email: uhcan@soton.ac.uk

Tel: 023 8059 8140 - Please leave a message and a member of the team will get back to you.