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Practice for sale formLung cancer and its prevalence in Australia
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), lung cancer is one of the top five most commonly diagnosed cancers in Australia. In 2022 lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in Australia. Due to the low survival rate of lung cancer and the increase in incidence rates, the AIHW estimates that in 2024 lung cancer will again be the most common cause of cancer death in Australia.
National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP)
To address the high mortality rates associated with lung cancer, the Australian Government in partnership with Cancer Australia and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has developed the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP).
The NLCSP which is due to rollout in July 2025, has been designed to increase early detection of lung cancer and therefore optimising effective treatment options. The program offers eligible patients who are deemed at high risk of developing lung cancer, the option of undergoing a low dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan to increase the possibility of detecting any abnormalities or early-stage cancer.
Eligibility
People will be eligible to participate in the program if they:
- are aged 50-70, and
- show no signs or symptoms suggestive of lung cancer (for example persistent cough, coughing up blood, shortness of breath), and
- have a history of at least 30 pack-years of cigarette smoking and are still smoking, or
- have a history of at least 30 pack-years of cigarette smoking and quit in the past 10 years.
MBS items
The NLCSP will have two new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers associated with the LDCT scans for eligible patients. More Information on these item numbers will be available on the MBS website from July 2025.
How the screening plan will be implemented
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has outlined four main steps involved in the NLCSP:
- Healthcare provider checks eligibility and asks patient age and smoking status.
- If patient consents to participate in the program, the healthcare provider refers the patient for an LDCT scan.
- Patient has LDCT scan completed by radiology provider.
- Patient and healthcare provider receive scan results to discuss and arrange any follow-up tests (if required). If LDCT scan has nil abnormalities the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) will notify patient of results and send reminder for repeat screening in two years.
(Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care)
General practice role in cancer screening
Primary care practices play a pivotal role in the promotion and implementation of cancer screening programs as they are usually a person’s first point of contact. According to the Cancer Institute NSW, participation in cancer screening programs reduces cancer related illness and mortality. General practice’s involvement is crucial in ensuring patients are guided through appropriate screening pathways, receive timely follow-ups, and access to early interventions.
Healthcare providers in general practice will assist in determining patient eligibility and working with radiology providers to refer eligible patients for LDCT scanning. Sometimes screening may require further investigation and follow-up testing, in these cases the patient would return to their healthcare provider to discuss these options following relevant clinical guidelines.
How your practice can prepare for the NLCSP
It is important to ensure primary care practices are ready to promote the program with eligible participants and be ready to make referrals. Whilst the program is not released yet, there are a few things your practice can do to ensure that your practice is ready:
- Review information about the program on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website Department of Health and Aged Care | National Lung Cancer Screening Program.
- Register and integrate with the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR). More information can be found on the NCSR website National Cancer Screening Register | Accessing the NCSR, including links to user guides and walkthrough video guides.
- Identify patients who could be eligible from July 2025. This includes reviewing and updating smoking history in clinical patient records.
- Ensure patients’ smoking status is routinely asked and accurately recorded in the clinical software. This can be achieved by incorporating smoking history questions into your practices standard consultation process and maintaining consistent and correct documentation.
SWSPHN has some useful resources for documenting in the correct location within a patient record, and how to perform a POLAR search to assist your practice in measuring the smoking status recording rate.
Clinical Guide for Best Practice Software | How and where to document – Data Cleansing
Clinical Guide for MedicalDirector Software | How and where to document – Data Cleansing
POLAR Walkthrough – Data Quality
Helpful tips for GPs, managers and nurses
Private bookmark
The Private Bookmark Function in POLAR allows the user to save searches of specific patient cohorts by creating a bookmark. The user can create these bookmarks by clicking the tab at the top right-hand corner of the page.
Note: Private bookmarks saved in the Clinic Summary Legacy report will not be transferred to the new Clinic Summary Beta report when the Legacy report is decommissioned.
Download Private Bookmark Walkthrough
Correct documentation
For POLAR to obtain precise and reliable data, it is crucial to ensure every item is accurately documented in the patient’s file. To assist clinicians and practice staff in documenting care items in the appropriate location in their clinic’s medical software, data mapping of each tab is accessible in the Help menu.
If you wish to find out more about cancer screening in POLAR or SWSPHN’s QIPC program, please email cqisupport@swsphn.com.au or visit our website Quality Improvement in Primary Care.
