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Mobile Trailer Lung Cancer Screening Program

We want to bring a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program to Ontario.


Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in Canada, accounting for 1 in 4 cancer deaths¹. About 70% of lung cancer is diagnosed at Stage III or IV¹, so people often find out they have it when the cancer has spread beyond the lungs and their chance for survival is lowest.  

The key to helping more people survive? Catching it early.  

What if we created a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program that removed barriers and brought screening into communities? It could unlock earlier testing, earlier diagnosis, and earlier treatments!  

What We Accomplished

To learn more about the existing lung cancer screening space and our work detailing the feasibility of a mobile trailer lung cancer screening unit in Ontario, check out the reports below.

What We Learned

  • The chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer and the chance of dying from it are much higher for some people in Canada than for others.
  • Mobile trailer lung cancer screening programs can reach underserved communities* with needed healthcare services.
  • Barriers, including lack of awareness, fear of diagnosis, system mistrust, distance, and program follow-up must be overcome through effective program design and integration with the Ontario health system.
  • Community engagement is essential to success – we should adopt a “Nothing About Us, Without Us” approach.
  • Flexibility in scheduling and locations can allow optimal reach for communities and hospitals, while increasing the number of CT scans done.
  • Ample time and funding are required to build a successful program.

*Low-income, rural, remote, visible minorities, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Urban Indigenous peoples.

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If you’re interested in learning more about mobile trailer lung cancer screening and the work completed to date, sign up below!

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Check Out Mobile Trailer Lung Cancer Screening Units Around the World!

Our Project

The Lung Health Foundation has teamed up with Healthcare Together and Dr. Geoffrey Liu of University Health Network to study whether such a program could work in Ontario. We’re starting our investigation with a solutions-based paper that will help decision makers determine if a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program is a complementary solution to improving access and decreasing barriers for populations and communities within Ontario.

What We Heard

Through our consultation sessions, survey, and ad-hoc meetings, we heard directly from people with lived experience of lung disease, government stakeholders, researchers, and health professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

A mobile trailer lung cancer screening program extends healthcare services to marginalized communities, underserved populations, and areas with limited or reduced healthcare infrastructure.  A unit has imaging equipment that can be deployed to multiple sites and can improve patient access.  The program is co-designed with patient advocates through a process of community engagement.

Late presentation is a significant issue in lung cancer and can lead to poor survival. Screening with low dose computed tomography (LDCT) can find lung cancer at an early stage, when treatment has a better chance of working. Reaching underserved populations with a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program allows professionals to reach at-risk populations closer to where they live.

The Lung Health Foundation has teamed up with Healthcare Together and Dr. Geoffrey Liu of University Health Network to study whether a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program could work in Ontario.  We’re starting our investigation with a solutions-based paper that will help decision-makers determine if a mobile trailer lung cancer screening program is a complimentary solution to improving access and decreasing barriers for populations within Ontario.

Late presentation is a significant issue in lung cancer and can lead to poor survival. Screening with low dose computed tomography (LDCT) can find lung cancer at an early stage, when treatment has a better chance of working. Reaching underserved populations with a mobile lung screening trailer allows professionals to reach at-risk populations closer to where they live.  

The Ontario Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) Program is Ontario’s organized screening program for people at high risk of getting lung cancer. Sites include Toronto, Ottawa, Oshawa, Sudbury, and Hamilton. The LCS program referral is limited to individuals aged 55 to 74 and who are current or former smokers who smoked cigarettes daily for at least 20 years (not necessarily in a row).4  However – there are many populations and communities affected by lung cancer that cannot access the screening program due to geographical barriers.5
28% of lung cancer is not caused by tobacco smoking in Canada.6 Risk factors for non-smokers may include second-hand smoke, environmental exposures, radon, genetic factors, and lung disease.7 Our aim is to explore the feasibility of a mobile lung cancer screening unit that does not have restrictive criteria – so that diagnosis of lung cancer can occur earlier for all populations and communities.  

Our Project Partners

Our Project Sponsors

Helpful links

  1. Lung Cancer and Equity: A Focus on Income and Geography. Available at: https://s22457.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Lung-cancer-and-equity-report-EN.pdf (accessed June 2023), pp 14,10,9,12
  2. Canadian Cancer Society, Risk factors for lung cancer. Available at: https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/lung/risks
  3. Cancer Care Ontario: Guidelines and Advice, Why is low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) used for lung cancer screening for people at high risk of getting lung cancer? Available at: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/guidelines-advice/cancer-continuum/screening/lung-cancer-screening-information/faqs-healthcare-providers
  4. Cancer Care Ontario, Guidelines and Advice, Lung Cancer Referral Form and Criteria. https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/guidelines-advice/cancer-continuum/screening/lung-cancer-screening-information/referrals (accessed June 2023)
  5. Sayani A. , Ali M.A., Corrado A.M.,et al. Interventions designed to increase the uptake of lung cancer screening and implications for priority populations: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2021; 11e050056
  6. Health System Intelligence Project Team. The Health Planner’s Toolkit: Module 3 – Evidence-Based Planning, Toronto, ON: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2006.
  7. Cochrane Training, Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, Handbook 5-1, Chapter 21.8 https://handbook-5-1.cochrane.org/chapter_21/21_8_applicability_and_transferability.htm
  8. Public Health Ontario, Priority Populations. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/BrowseByTopic/HealthPromotion/Pages/Priority-Populations.aspx. Date accessed: August 5, 2016

Questions about lung cancer, for yourself or a loved one?

We’re here for you, and you’re not alone. Explore our lung cancer support groups, view our  Coping with Lung Cancer Support Guide or speak directly with our in-house lung cancer expert at patientsupport@lunghealth.ca.  

Learn more