How the National Lung Cancer Screening Program will work

Eligibility

You are eligible for the program if you:

• are aged between 50 and 70 years
  and
• show no signs or symptoms suggesting you may have lung cancer (that is, you are asymptomatic) 
  and
• currently smoke or have quit smoking in the past 10 years
  and
• have a history of tobacco cigarette smoking of at least 30 pack-years.

Your healthcare provider can help you work out whether you’re eligible for the program based on your age and smoking history. They will also assess whether you are suitable for screening based on specific criteria, which may be temporary. For example, being able to lie down flat to complete a low-dose computed tomography (low-dose CT) scan.

You can continue to screen even if you stopped smoking more than 10 years ago.

You remain eligible to continue in the program until you:

• age out (you turn 71)
• become unable to undergo a low-dose CT scan (which may be temporary)
• have findings on scans that mean you will exit the program.

You do not have to quit smoking to participate in the program.

Definition of ‘pack-years’

The term ‘pack-year’ is a way of measuring the number of cigarettes a person has smoked in their lifetime.

Pack-years are calculated by multiplying the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked.

For example, 1 pack-year is equal to smoking 20 cigarettes (1 pack) per day for 1 year, or 40 cigarettes per day for half a year:

1 pack a day for 1 year = 1 pack year
2 packs a day for 6 months = 1 pack year.

Calculating pack-years is an ‘imperfect science’. A healthcare provider can help you estimate your pack-year smoking history.

To be eligible for the program, you must have either a history of: 

• cigarette smoking of at least 30 pack-years and still smoke
• at least 30 pack-years and have quit smoking in the past 10 years.

Learn more about how we determined the eligibility criteria.

How screening works

Lung cancer screening involves 4 main steps:

1. A healthcare provider, like a general practitioner (GP) or a health worker at an Aboriginal Health Service, checks if you are eligible by asking your age and smoking history.
2. If you agree to participate and wish to do a lung screen, the healthcare provider will give you a referral for a low-dose CT scan. Ask your healthcare provider where lung cancer screening is offered in your area.
3. For the scan, you will lie down on a table with your arms above your head while the equipment takes images of your chest. The scan doesn’t involve any needles or other procedures. Your appointment will usually take around 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Your healthcare provider will receive your scan results. The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) will send you a text message, email or letter (depending on your registered communication preference) about what to do next. This may be to have a low-dose CT scan again in 2 years or to discuss your results with your healthcare provider.

Read more about your visit to the radiology clinic.

See our resources that provide you with information about the program.

Mobile screening for rural and remote areas

If you live in a rural or remote area, it can be hard to get to a screening location. We are planning mobile lung cancer screening services to help people in these areas. 

Learn more about our plans for mobile screening.

Getting your results

Once you complete the scan, the radiologist will review the images, enter your results in the NCSR, and send them to your healthcare provider. You will also receive communication from the NCSR explaining your next steps.

The next steps after you complete your scan will depend on what is found during screening.

This could include going back to the GP to discuss the results and booking another follow-up scan if needed. The results will not be available to participants via the NCSR. However, the system will remind you to visit your healthcare provider or when to get your next scan. You may need another scan in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or continue screening every 2 years. It may also mean getting a referral to a respiratory physician or other specialists for further investigation.

If your scan has no findings, the NCSR will let you know. You will receive a reminder from the NCSR in 2 years’ time to screen again.

Read more about:

• understanding your results
• understanding lung nodules and other findings.

Accessing the National Cancer Screening Register

The NCSR provides information and helpful reminders about screening.

The NCSR Participant Portal allows you to:

• update your personal details
• manage your participation
• update communication preferences (paper or electronic options)
• view your screening information.

The NCSR also sends you information on what happens next or when you are due for your next scan. Your healthcare provider will also receive your results. 

To access the portal, log in to myGov. You will see an option to link to the NCSR.

You will also be able to see when your last lung cancer screen was. If you participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program or the National Cervical Screening Program, you can also see information and communications about those programs.

You can choose to stay in the program but opt out of receiving information from the NCSR, such as reminders to screen.

To learn more, visit the National Cancer Screening Register.

Costs

The consultation and referral

You will need to see a healthcare provider like a GP, a specialist or other qualified healthcare provider to get a request for a low-dose CT scan. Healthcare providers who do not bulk bill may charge a fee for consultations about the program.

Check what fees your healthcare provider charges for consultations when you book your appointment. You can visit healthdirect to find a bulk billing service.

The low-dose CT scan

There will be 2 new mandatory bulk billing Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) items for low-dose CT scans under the program:

• 1 MBS item for the screening low-dose CT scan done by the participant approximately every 2 years
• 1 MBS item for any follow-up low-dose CT scans that may be required depending on the results of the screening low-dose CT scan.

Patients will not have any out-of-pocket costs for the low-dose CT scan through the program. 

This is because as mandatory bulk billed items, a radiology provider accepts the schedule fee as full payment for the service when claiming from MBS. They cannot charge a co-payment.

Help and support to stop smoking

While there are many causes of lung cancer, tobacco use is the main risk factor associated with lung cancer. In Australia, 90% of lung cancer in men and 65% of lung cancer in women is estimated to be a result of smoking.

Smoking is addictive. Quitting can be one of the most difficult things a person can do for their health and wellbeing.

If you or someone you know is interested in quitting smoking, there are a range of measures and services already available to help people to quit.

Find out more about How to quit smoking.

You do not have to quit smoking to participate in the program.

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