Early scoping of a potential national lung cancer screening program will begin from 1 July 2021 with funding allocated in the federal Budget.
Cancer Australia has announced it will lead the collaborative engagement of key stakeholders in the early design of a potential national lung cancer screening program comprising 2-yearly low-dose CT scans in high-risk individuals.
The initial work will be funded out of $6.9m funding for lung cancer programs announced in the Budget, which will also support the scoping and consideration of the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) requirements of a potential national lung cancer screening program.
The announcement was welcomed by groups such as the Lung Foundation and the Thoracic Oncology Group Of Australasia (TOGA), which said that lung cancer screening program was estimated to save more than 12,000 lives within a decade through early detection and treatment.
Lung Foundation said a screening program was long overdue for Australia’s leading cause of cancer death.
“Together with our lung cancer advocates and supporters, we will continue to work with the Federal and State Governments to ensure that screening is fast-tracked,” it said.