Lung cancer screening in Canada: Environmental scan (2019-2020)
November 27, 2020
Highlights of lung cancer screening programs’ activities and strategies
The Partnership collects information on national, provincial, and territorial lung screening guidelines, strategies, and activities. The information for this lung cancer screening report was collected in June and July 2019. Many provinces and territories provided updated data in early 2020, and this report was updated in November 2020.
Quick facts from this lung cancer screening report
- There are currently no organized, jurisdiction-wide lung screening programs in Canada.
- Eleven jurisdictions have been involved in the pan-Canadian development of a standardized lung screening business case.
- Four individual lung screening pilots and studies are ongoing, and one Pan-Canadian lung screening study has been completed.
- Eight provinces have rapid diagnosis initiatives for lung cancer.
- Activities are being implemented in Ontario to promote lung screening participation among First Nations, Inuit and Métis, as well as other underscreened populations, as part of the Ontario Lung Cancer Screening Pilot for People at High Risk.
Implementation of lung cancer screening programs in Canada
In September 2020, British Columbia announced that they will be the first Canadian jurisdiction to implement a full-scale lung cancer screening program. It is expected that this program could be screening individuals at high-risk by the spring of 2022. Read the full BC lung screening announcement here.
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