Search
Close this search box.

Mobile Lung Cancer Screening

Help us explore the feasibility of bringing mobile lung cancer screening to Ontario

Fill in a survey now!
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in Canada, accounting for 1 in 4 cancer deaths.1 About 70% of lung cancer is diagnosed at Stage III or IV,2 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 lung cancer screening program that removed barriers and brought screening into communities? It could unlock earlier testing, earlier diagnosis, and earlier treatments!  

We need your input!

Sharing your thoughts will help us shape our mobile lung cancer screening program recommendations. We’re gathering feedback from people with lived lung cancer experience, as well as healthcare professionals, government agencies, public health units, equipment vendors, research organizations, and advocacy groups:

Take part in our live poll

Test your knowledge with our anonymous poll. 

Contact us

Do you have questions about our mobile lung cancer screening research, or ideas about spreading the word to lung cancer stakeholders? Get in touch with a member of our Program Implementation team.

Take part in our live poll!

Take part in our live poll!

Test your knowledge with this anonymous poll. 

Do you have questions about our mobile lung cancer screening research, or ideas about spreading the word to lung cancer stakeholders? Get in touch with a member of our Program Implementation team.

We're gathering stakeholders for meaningful conversations about lung cancer screening inequities, and we want your input. Register for our upcoming session on October 30, 2023 (1:00- 2:30 p.m. ET)

Do you have questions about our mobile lung cancer screening research, or ideas about spreading the word to lung cancer stakeholders? Get in touch with a member of our Program Implementation team.


We're gathering stakeholders for meaningful conversations about lung cancer screening inequities, and we want your input. Register for our upcoming session on October 30, 2023 (1:00- 2:30 p.m. ET)

Do you have questions about our mobile lung cancer screening research, or ideas about spreading the word to lung cancer stakeholders? Get in touch with a member of our Program Implementation team.


About 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. This work is vital because access to lung cancer screening isn’t equitable3 — but it could be.

We’re starting our investigation with a solutions-based paper that will help decision makers understand the barriers like:

  • Geography:

    How close a person lives to one of Ontario’s four permanent screening sites

  • Demographics:

    Whether a person is at-risk.

  • Whether a person would qualify for screening at all:

    For example, Ontario’s current program only screens people with a smoking history, even though 28% of lung cancers aren’t tied back to smoking!1

Frequently asked questions

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

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

Understand the current lung cancer screening landscape in Ontario:

Meet mobile lung cancer screening units from around the world:

 

Our Project Sponsors

References

  1. Lung Cancer and Equity: A Focus on Income and Geography. Available here (PDF)
  2. Canadian Cancer Society, Risk factors for lung cancer.
  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? 
  4. Cancer Care Ontario, Guidelines and Advice, Lung Cancer Referral Form and Criteria. (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. Available here.
  8. Public Health Ontario, Priority Populations. (accessed August 5, 2016)