Lung Cancer
Lung cancer causes more cancer deaths in Australia than any other: about 15,000 diagnoses and 9,000 deaths a year. Survival is improving fast, and a free screening scan now helps find it early in people at high risk.
See your GP soon for a cough that lasts more than 3 weeks or changes, coughing up blood, breathlessness, chest pain, a chest infection that won’t clear, hoarseness, or weight loss you can’t explain. Coughing up blood needs a check straight away.
The numbers
- About 15,100 new cases a year, in men and women in similar numbers
- The leading cause of cancer death, at about 9,000 deaths a year
- 27% are alive 5 years after diagnosis, up from under 10% in the late 1980s
- People who have never smoked get it too, and they shouldn’t be made to feel it’s their fault
Free screening for people at high risk
- The National Lung Cancer Screening Program started in July 2025
- For people aged 50 to 70 with no symptoms, who smoke or quit in the last 10 years, with at least 30 pack-years of smoking
- A pack-year is one pack a day for one year (or two packs a day for six months)
- A low-dose CT scan every 2 years, bulk billed. Ask your GP to check if you’re eligible
- You don’t have to quit to be screened, though quitting is still the best thing you can do
The screening program asks how much you’ve smoked, not to judge you. Honest answers get you the scan.
Causes
- Smoking causes most cases. Quitting at any age lowers the risk
- Second-hand smoke, radon, asbestos, diesel exhaust and silica dust at work
- Air pollution and a family history
- In people who’ve never smoked, specific gene changes in the tumour (such as EGFR or ALK) are common, and they can often be targeted with tablets
Vapes aren’t a lung-health product. Swapping smoke for vapour isn’t the same as quitting.
Tests and treatment
- Tests: chest X-ray, CT scan, PET scan, then a biopsy (often through a bronchoscope or needle)
- Early lung cancer: surgery, or precise radiotherapy if surgery isn’t suitable
- More advanced cancer: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted tablets, often combined
- Testing the tumour for gene changes guides treatment. Ask about it
- Palliative care alongside treatment improves comfort and quality of life, and isn’t only for the end
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- ‘It’s too late to quit, the damage is done’Quitting improves lung function, treatment results and survival, even after a diagnosis.
- Unproven ‘lung detox’ supplementsNo evidence they remove anything or prevent cancer.
Common questions
What are the early signs of lung cancer?
Often none. Symptoms can include a cough that won’t go away, coughing up blood, breathlessness, chest pain, repeated chest infections and weight loss.
Who can get lung cancer screening in Australia?
People aged 50 to 70 with no symptoms who smoke or quit in the past 10 years and have at least 30 pack-years of smoking history. The low-dose CT scan is free; ask your GP.
Can people who never smoked get lung cancer?
Yes. A significant share of lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked, often with specific gene changes that can be treated with targeted tablets.
Helpful resources
- Cancer Council 13 11 20Information and support line for anyone affected by cancer. Free.
- Quitline 13 7848Free help to quit smoking or vaping.
- Lung Foundation Australia 1800 654 301Lung cancer information and support. Free.
Evidence and more information
- Cancer Australia: Lung cancer statistics
- How the National Lung Cancer Screening Program works (health.gov.au)
- Cancer Council: Lung cancer
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