A $3m investment in lung cancer screening is poised to increase accessibility for at-risk patients.
A multi-milliondollar investment by the South Australian government has been applauded for how it will help to support lung cancer screening and care in the state.
The $3 million investment is adding to the National Lung Cancer Screening Program that kicked off in July with the aim of increasing accessibility for lung cancer care.
Lung cancer assessments and treatment programs will see the bulk of the funding across Adelaide with diagnosed patients in the scheme provided greater access to follow-up treatment.
This national program aligns with the RACGP’s Red Book recommendations in providing free lung cancer screening for high-risk patients.
- In the 50-70 years age bracket;
- Be asymptomatic, with no signs or symptoms suggesting lung cancer;
- Currently smoke or have quit smoking in the past 10 years;
- Have a history of tobacco cigarette smoking of at least 30 ‘pack years’, which is calculated by multiplying the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked.
The RACGP’s South Australian branch said the initiative was a good step forward for effective lung cancer treatment.
“We’ve started to refer people for these low-dose CT screening tests,” RACGP SA chair Dr Sian Goodson told The Medical Republic.
“I’ve actually seen someone this morning for results, and I’ve also referred to one today.
“But the problem is, if we haven’t got a public pathway for people to get treated following a positive result from a screening test, that would be a real problem for people.
Related
“It’s expensive to see private specialists and not always easy to access, so it’s very positive that there’s going to be better public provision for following up people that are found to have significant problems when we do these screening tests for lung cancer.”
Given that this investment is still recent, the RACGP says time will tell how this initiative will bring down wait times and increase accessibility.
“The public pathways really do need to be there for people that can’t afford to pay and need to be seen in the public system,” Dr Goodson told TMR.
“The SA government investment is around getting that accessibility sorted out, but it is also an opportunity to highlight this new screening programme.
“It’s a great opportunity for GPs to talk to people about smoking and make sure that we’re screening and catching any cancer really early, where we know we can get good outcomes for people.”
For younger smokers, the RACGP says there are also pathways for effective treatment with evidence-backed medications and counselling.
“Nicotine’s addictive, that takes choice away from you,” Dr Goodson said.
“Your GP can give you non-judgemental opportunities to take that choice back.
“Speak to your GP, it’s a conversation that can save your life.”
