Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in Australia. The number of new cases of lung cancer diagnosed is continuing to increase year by year. While survival rates for people with lung cancer are improving, they continue to remain low as many lung cancers are first diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease. The key to improving survival and quality of life of Australians affected by lung cancer is to diagnose lung cancer early.
In August 2019 the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, requested that Cancer Australia conduct an enquiry into the prospects, process and delivery of a national lung cancer screening program in Australia.
Cancer Australia undertook a multi-faceted body of work underpinned by extensive and inclusive stakeholder consultation to enquire into the evidence of the effectiveness of lung cancer screening, to inform the design of a potential lung cancer screening program appropriate for Australia, and to describe how such a program may be delivered.
Based on the national and international evidence, a screening program using biennial low dose computed tomography (LDCT) in asymptomatic high-risk Australians could detect cancers in early stages when treatment is most likely to be successful. It is estimated that in the first 10 years of a lung cancer screening program in Australia, over 70% of all screen detected lung cancers would be diagnosed at an early stage (currently over 50% diagnosed advanced stage). Additionally, more than 12,000 deaths would be prevented and up to 50,000 quality adjusted life years would be gained.
Through research, analysis and consultation with key stakeholders, Cancer Australia has defined the elements and potential framework for delivery of a cost-effective and equitable national lung cancer screening program in Australia.