LUNG CANCER
DETECTION
Early detection of lung cancer is key to helping improve the chance of survival. However, a 2020 Canadian Cancer Society report showed that only about 21% of lung cancers are diagnosed at Stage 1, when the estimated percentage of people who are still alive after 3 years is over 70%. Around 50% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at Stage 4, at which point the estimated percentage of people who are still alive after 3 years drops to 5%. A major reason why lung cancers are diagnosed at a late stage is that symptoms are often unnoticeable at early stages.
3–year net survival estimates
Screening for lung cancer can help detect it at an early stage. You or a loved one can work with a doctor to determine eligibility for lung cancer screening and if lung cancer screening is available in your province.
3–year net survival estimates
Screening for lung cancer can help detect it at an early stage. You or a loved one can work with a doctor to determine eligibility for lung cancer screening and if lung cancer screening is available in your province.
Low–dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening
If a doctor determines that you or your loved one fit the eligibility criteria determined by provincial lung screening programs, they may recommend an LDCT scan. LDCT uses much less radiation than a regular CT scan to take a detailed picture of the chest. The scan will be used to look for signs of lung cancer.
In their 2016 Guidelines, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommended screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans every year for 3 years in a row in high-risk adults aged 55–74 years who currently smoke or who quit less than 15 years ago, with a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years.*
There are possible risks associated with testing for lung cancer, such as radiation, false positives or complications from follow-up tests. Still, when lung cancer screening is done in high-risk individuals, the benefits of LDCT testing are found to outweigh the potential harms. There is not enough evidence to know if screening for lung cancer is effective for people who have smoked less than 30 pack-years or for people who have other risk factors for lung cancer. People who are not at high risk based on their smoking history should not be screened.
