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Adds an abdominal CT scan to lung cancer screening to test feasibility

Tests an abdominal scan alongside lung screening in ever-smokers aged 55 to 70.

Key facts

Who runs it
University of Cambridge
Where
Hull, United KingdomSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Targeted Abdominal CT in Conjunction With Lung Cancer Screening
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
6,272 people, planned
Started
11 Nov 2025
Expected to end
Oct 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 4 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Lung Cancer Screening Invitation Intervention
  • Abdominal scan intervention
Record updated
19 December 2025

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for people aged 55 to 70 who have ever smoked and are invited to lung cancer screening in two areas of Yorkshire. Those found at high lung cancer risk may also have an abdominal scan.

Age
55 to 70 years (up to 70 years 364 days old at the date of invitation).
Sex
All sexes can join.
Biomarker or test result
The lung scan step needs a high lung cancer risk score: PLCOM2012 risk of 1.51% or more over six years, or LLPver2 five-year risk of 2.5% or more.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Had an abdominal CT in the previous 12 months or has one booked in the next 3 months
  • Cannot give consent
  • Weight over 200kg (441 lb (200 kg))
  • Cannot lie flat
  • Poor fitness, so treatment meant to remove all of the disease would not be possible

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 22 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Be eligible to be invited to the first round of a West Yorkshire and Harrogate LCS or a Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance LCS (i.e. have been identified as a smoker or ex-smoker and registered as living within the relevant LCS catchment area)
  • Be registered with a GP in England
  • Be aged 55-70 years 364 days old at the date of invitation
  • Have been individually randomised to the invitation intervention arm
  • Have booked in for a LCS assessment
  • Have been randomised to the scan intervention cluster
  • Be invited to attend for a LDCT Thorax based upon scores on either PLCOM2012 or Liverpool Lung Project (LLP) risk prediction models (PLCOM2012 risk of ≥1.51% over six years or LLPver2 five-year risk of ≥2.5%)14 during the LCS assessment
  • Have attended the lung scan appointment
  • Have given electronic or written informed consent to participate

Who cannot take part

  • Poor physical fitness such that treatment with curative intent would be contra-indicated
  • Had an abdominal CT in the previous 12 months or has one booked within the next 3 months
  • For WYH, this is only checked after the LCS assessment. Therefore, anyone having had an abdominal CT in the previous 12 months or with one booked within the next 3 months will be excluded at this point (see 8.6)
  • None
  • Eligibility criteria for the cluster level randomisation to scan intervention or scan control
  • Existing LCS exclusion criteria:
  • Participant does not have capacity to give consent (standard criteria for assessing capacity apply)
  • Weight or physical size exceeds restrictions for scanner (>200kg)
  • Participant unable to lie flat
  • Participants who have had a full CT Thorax that meets the image reconstruction parameters of the programme in the last 12 months are not excluded from the lung screening programme, but would have their CT Thorax appointment deferred until 12 months have elapsed since that last scan, provided they still meet all inclusion criteria and have no exclusion criteria - if the deferred appointment is within the timeframe for TACTICAL1, they remain eligible but if deferred appointment is outside the timeframe for TACTICAL1 they would not be eligible; Additional TACTICAL1 exclusion criteria:
  • For HNY, this is checked before the LCS assessment. Therefore, participants will be excluded before the LCS assessment
  • Eligibility criteria for the process evaluation Health care professionals: Healthcare professionals involved in the delivery of LCS in any of the study areas who agree to take part; Participants: People individually randomised to the invitation intervention arm who attend the LCS assessment or the scanning unit within the study period and who agree to be interviewed

Other criteria

  • For the individual level randomisation to invitation control or invitation intervention

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 55 and 70 years old?

Where in United Kingdom

  • Hull Teaching Hospitals TrustHull, United KingdomContact: Oliver ByassTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Early detection through screening can improve cancer survival by identifying it when it's most treatable. The NHS now offers Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) assessments to people aged 55-74 who have ever smoked. Those at higher risk of lung cancer are offered a lung scan.

Read full original descriptionShow less

This group also has a high risk of developing abdominal cancers, such as kidney cancer. A recent study explored whether it would be feasible to extend the lung scan to include the abdomen. Results showed most participants supported this addition, and the number of serious findings was similar to those detected in UK breast or bowel cancer screening programmes.

However, the abdominal scan was only offered on the day of the lung scan, giving little time for people to consider their decision. The process also added too much time to be practical for widespread implementation.

This new study will:

* Test whether mentioning the possible abdominal scan in the initial LCS invitation affects participation in LCS assessments. * Test new processes to assess if the abdominal scan can be added to the lung scan with minimal extra time. * Check if participants can be split between the lung scan only group and lung and abdominal scan group using an approach called 'cluster randomisation'. This will be important in case a bigger trial is needed. * See whether the additional processes are acceptable

People aged 55-70 who are invited to the lung cancer screening will be eligible to take part in this study. Only those who are found to be at a high risk of lung cancer after their assessment, and therefore offered a lung scan, will be offered the abdominal scan, provided they have not had an abdominal scan in the previous 12 months or one booked in the next 3 months.

This study will take place in two existing lung cancer screening locations in Yorkshire.

The 4 groups in the trial

  • Invitation control armExisting treatment, for comparison

    Invited to NHS Lung Cancer Screening to assess lung cancer risk via letter or text message, following the normal process

    Treatment: Lung Cancer Screening Invitation Intervention

  • Invitation intervention armTreatment being tested

    Will have additional text included in the standard Lung Cancer Screening letter or text explaining that, if eligible, they may also be offered a scan of their abdomen at the same time as their lungs.

    Treatment: Lung Cancer Screening Invitation Intervention

  • Scan control armExisting treatment, for comparison

    For the scan control batches, those who are 'high risk' following the LCS assessment will have an appointment booked for LCS in the normal way by the LCS assessor.

    Treatment: Abdominal scan intervention

  • Scan intervention armTreatment being tested

    Those who are 'high risk' following the LCS assessment will be invited to have an abdominal CT scan at the same time as their lung scan.

    Treatment: Abdominal scan intervention

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Targeted Abdominal CT in Conjunction With Lung Cancer Screening - a Pilot Study (TACTICAL1): a Randomised Controlled Pilot Study of Adding Abdominal Non-contrast CT to Lung Cancer Screening CT Thorax Amongst High Lung Cancer Risk Ever-smokers Aged 55-70.
Plain-language title
Adds an abdominal CT scan to lung cancer screening to test feasibilityGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07171190, who can take part
Record updated
19 December 2025