Along with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and NHS Tayside, NHS Lanarkshire is recruiting smokers and ex-smokers for the potentially life-saving research, spearheaded by the University of Dundee, University of Glasgow and University of Nottingham.

The research will help to decide if the test could be used for a lung cancer screening programme in Scotland and beyond.

Lung cancer is more common in Lanarkshire, Glasgow and Tayside than in many other areas of the country.

The Early Cancer Detection Test – Lung Cancer Scotland (ECLS) study is designed to find out whether the use of a pioneering new blood test – EarlyCDT-Lung – leads to earlier detection of lung cancer.

Among the first to be tested in Lanarkshire was 70-year-old Irene Fox, from Coatbridge, who had smoked 20 cigarettes a day for around 45 years before she quit five years ago.

Former lollipop lady, Irene, said, ‘I got a letter from my GP asking me if I’d be interested in taking part in the study.

‘I have a condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which means the airways of my lungs are inflamed and narrowed and I have breathing difficulties. I also lost my father and a close friend to lung cancer. So I decided taking part would be very worthwhile.

‘After the blood test I received news that my result was positive. The medical staff had told me the majority of people who tested positive would not have lung cancer so that meant I didn’t worry too much.

‘Soon after I had a chest X-ray and a CT scan. Within a few days I had the good news that both were clear of lung cancer. I’ll l get a scan every six months for the next two years through the study.

‘The NHS Lanarkshire staff have been great at guiding me through the process and I’m sure the research will be of benefit to others as well as myself.’

ECLS began recruiting in Lanarkshire in January, looking for people aged 50-75, who have smoked the equivalent of a pack of 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years.

For more information about participating in ECLS, call 01236 713 432 or visit www.eclsstudy.org. Recruitment ends in mid-June.