How lung cancer screening helped detect Betsy’s cancer early
Betsy, from Crawley, Sussex, is encouraging people to attend their NHS lung cancer screening appointment after a scan detected her cancer before she had any symptoms.
Betsy was around 58 when she received her first invitation to the lung cancer screening programme in Crawley. Her initial scan identified a small nodule in her lung, which was monitored through regular scans. When it grew last year, further tests confirmed it was cancer.
Betsy underwent surgery at St George’s Hospital in November 2025 to remove part of her lung. She is now recovering well and continues to have regular monitoring.
She said:
“At the beginning, lung cancer has no symptoms. I was absolutely symptomless, and I wouldn’t have found out otherwise.
“They detected my cancer when it was tiny. I did have to have an operation, but I don’t have cancer anymore, and that’s amazing.”
Betsy wants to encourage others to take up their screening invitation rather than put it off.
“If you get the letter from the NHS offering you lung screening, go. It’s really important to go.
“It doesn’t take long, and the scan is very quick. It’s not scary. It’s just very easy.”
Following her operation, Betsy also raised more than £1,000 for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation by walking 87 miles.
Find out more about Lung Cancer Screening