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Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer screening saves lives.

Lung cancer screening aims to detect people with lung cancer before any symptoms occur, before the disease has had a chance to spread and when treatments are more likely to be successful. By far, the best outcomes in treating lung cancer are from finding the disease as early as possible. Early detection can significantly increase the chances of effective treatment or even a cure.

Currently in Canada, lung cancer screening primarily targets high-risk individuals. Each province has slightly different requirements to be eligible to be screened for lung cancer. The most important eligibility factors in the current Canadian screening programs are a person’s age and their history of using tobacco products, but education level, ethnicity, family history of lung cancer, personal history of cancer, body mass index (BMI), and if they have a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are all considered. Even though Canadian lung cancer screening programs are only available to those with a past or current smoking history, it is important to remember that anyone with lungs, even if they have never smoked, can get lung cancer.

If you have symptoms of lung cancer, talk to your doctor. Do not wait for an invitation to a screening appointment.

How is lung cancer screening done?

Today, the recommended method for lung cancer screening is a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT. LDCT helps find areas in the lung that may be cancerous. Studies have shown that yearly LDCT scans in high-risk people can lead to early detection of lung cancer, which saves lives. Other tests such as chest X-rays and sputum tests, are not recommended for lung cancer screening because currently they cannot effectively detect lung cancer early. During an LDCT, you lie down on a table. Then, a camera goes around your body and takes images from different angles. A computer then processes these images and combines them to create detailed pictures of your lungs. LDCT uses a low amount of radiation, less than a standard CT scan, and the scan only takes a few minutes.

Medical ct or mri scan in the modern hospital labo 2023 11 27 05 29 36 utc

What are the risks?

Lung cancer screening tests are not perfect. Some cancers can be missed (false negative), and some unusual spots may look like cancer when they are not (false positive) meaning people may get further unnecessary tests.

LDCT scans also expose people to low levels of radiation. This level of radiation is more than an X-ray, but lower than a standard CT scan. The overall risk from a LDCT is extremely small.

Does screening work?

In a word, yes. Studies have shown that lung cancer screening could save one person’s life for every five people who currently die from lung cancer. If lung cancer is found by scree ning, it is most often at an early stage and will lead to better outcomes.

What’s next for lung cancer screening?

LDCT screening has proven to be a crucial step in detecting lung cancer early and improving survival rates. As technology advances, we can expect even better outcomes with more sensitive scans and lower radiation levels. Exciting research is underway to further enhance screening methods, including:

Developing more accurate and advanced scanners
Using advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist doctors in interpreting scans
Detecting microscopic evidence of small lung tumors in saliva or blood samples before they are visible on CT scans
Using breath tests to identify substances that change in the presence of lung cancer

These innovations hold great promise for the future of lung cancer screening, offering new ways to catch the disease even earlier and improve treatment success. Lung Cancer Canada supports lung cancer screening for Canadians and has funded research into making lung cancer screening more accessible for Canadians.

Lung Cancer Screening in Canada

While lung cancer screening programs are not yet uniformly available from coast-to-coast, there is a strong push to implement new programs and to grow existing ones across Canada.

Currently, two provinces have established permanent programs, while three others are in their early stages, and two have committed to implementing them within the next few years.

British Columbia launched a permanent, comprehensive province-wide screening program in Spring 2022
Ontario delivers lung cancer screening at four distinctive sites, and there is an ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Health to expand the program’s reach
Quebec initiated a pilot screening initiative in 2021
Alberta started a pilot program in 2022
Nova Scotia launched a lung cancer screening program in January 2024
New Brunswick has announced that they will be launching a province-wide screening program to be rolled out in 2025
PEI committed in 2023 to bringing a screening program to the province as per the PEI Cancer Action Plan, but no timeline has yet been announced
The remaining provinces and territories have yet to announce plans in establishing screening programs

As evidence shows that lung cancer detected at an earlier stage will have better treatment outcomes, it’s critical that everyone at risk has access to potentially life-saving screening programs no matter where they reside. It’s for this reason that Lung Cancer Canada continues to advocate for more equitable access to screening across the country.