Achieving lung cancer screening in Australia – an advocacy success story

The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that the purpose of cancer screening is to detect pre-cancer or early-stage cancer in asymptomatic individuals so that timely diagnosis and early detection can be offered, where treatment can lead to better outcomes. Lung cancer is a global issue, with many countries exploring opportunities for to enhance the prevention, early detection, and treatments for patients, given the significant prevalence and mortality. In Australia, lung cancer is the 5th most commonly diagnosed cancer, the leading cause of cancer death, has a low survival rate, and costs the Australian healthcare system around $500M every year in direct costs alone. While many countries explore the feasibility and affordability of implementing a lung cancer screening program (aligned to WHO screening criteria), lessons can be learnt from the Australian experience. As the leading lung health charity in Australia, Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) set upon a 6 year long campaign that ultimately achieved a world first commitment to national implementation of a lung cancer screening program. With implementation of this life-saving screening program set for July 2025, this presentation will explore the role of non-government organisations in influencing policy outcomes, through strategic documents, consumer and clinical support, building the evidence, government relationships, alignment to political priorities, building alliances, shaping community perspectives, and more over years – all leading to the Australian lung cancer screening program.