More Than 90,000 Australians Screened Through National Lung Cancer Program
24 Jun 2026
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program aims to detect lung cancer earlier in people at higher risk, helping improve treatment outcomes and survival rates.
GPs play a key role in identifying eligible patients and supporting them throughout the screening process. To qualify for a free low-dose CT scan, patients must be aged 50–70 years, have no symptoms of lung cancer, have a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years, and either currently smoke or have quit within the past 10 years.
Healthcare providers are encouraged to use the program-specific eligibility, enrolment, and imaging request forms to ensure patients are correctly registered through the National Cancer Screening Register and receive appropriate reminders and follow-up support.
Following an initial scan, the Register helps coordinate ongoing screening invitations, while GPs remain responsible for discussing results, arranging follow-up investigations where required, and managing referrals for patients with higher-risk findings.
The program also provides guidance for managing additional findings unrelated to lung cancer, allowing most patients to continue routine screening while other health concerns are investigated separately.
To support implementation, educational resources, clinical guidelines, and training modules are available for healthcare professionals through the program and partner organisations.
The initiative highlights the growing role of early detection in reducing the impact of lung cancer, Australia's leading cause of cancer death.
More Than 90,000 Australians Screened Through National Lung Cancer Program
Source: National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP), Department of Health, Disability and Ageing