Lung Cancer Screening Program Starting in Australia: What Smokers and Quitters Need to Know

From July, eligible Australians will be screened for lung cancer as part of the nation's first new cancer screening program for almost 20 years. The program aims to detect lung cancer early, before symptoms emerge and cancer spreads. This early detection and treatment is predicted to save lives.

Lung cancer is Australia's fifth most diagnosed cancer but causes the greatest number of cancer deaths. It's more common in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians, and lower income groups than in the general population. Overall, less than one in five patients with lung cancer will survive five years. But for those diagnosed when the cancer is small and has not spread, two-thirds of people survive five years.

The lung cancer screening program only targets people at higher risk of lung cancer, based on their smoking history and their age. The program screens people 50-70 years old with no signs or symptoms of lung cancer. Current smokers must have a history of at least 30 \"pack years.\" People who have quit smoking in the past ten years but have accumulated 30 or more pack years before quitting are also eligible.

Screening involves a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan to find nodules in the lung. Results are sent to the individual, their GP, and the National Cancer Screening Register. Benefits of screening include early detection of stage 1 disease and reduced chance of dying prematurely from lung cancer.

The Australian government has allocated funds for the screening program. Initial GP consultation may be free if bulk billed. There will be no cost for the low-dose CT scans.

If you are 50–70 and a heavy smoker, see your GP about screening for lung cancer. If you've quit smoking in the past ten years, consult your GP to see if you are eligible for screening.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

According to the source: Medical Xpress.