National Lung Cancer Screening Program – Current Status and Emerging Challenges

Australia launched a new National Lung Cancer Screening Program in July 2025. This is the fourth of a series of educational webinars planned in preparation of the new program delivered in collaboration with NWMPHN and The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

This session will cover the current status of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program including local experience, in addition to discussion of emerging challenges in clinical care. 

This session will also provide information about the service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to support primary care providers with the commencement of lung cancer screening.

At the end of the session, audience members will be familiar with the National Lung Cancer Screening Program, key health care provider responsibilities, patient lung cancer risk stratification, smoking cessation, and local resources available. 

Speakers

Dr Asha Bonney is a Respiratory and Sleep Physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her other roles include Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Respiratory and Sleep Physician at Eastern Health, and Member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Lung Cancer Working Party. She completed a PhD in the field of lung cancer screening and is the clinical lead of the Lung Nodule Clinic at RMH and lead of the Lung Nodule and Screening Program at RMH.

A/Prof Renee Manser is a Respiratory and Sleep Physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She has a PhD in lung cancer screening and is an honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne. A/Prof Renee Manser has extensive clinical experience in lung cancer diagnosis and management and is a Principal Investigator on the International Lung Screen Trial. A/Prof Manser is co-editor for the Cochrane Lung Cancer Review Group and a regular scientific reviewer for the Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee.

Dr Alistair Miller is a respiratory and sleep physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Dr Hashniee Weraduwage is a Melbourne-based GP and a HealthPathways Melbourne Clinical Editor.

To view the previous recordings in the series, please visit the links below:

• National Lung Cancer Screening Program – What’s involved and how do I prepare? (25 February 2025)
• National Lung Cancer Screening Program: Essentials in pulmonary nodule management and risk factors (6 May 2025)
• National Lung Cancer Screening Program: Additional findings detected during lung cancer screening (12 August 2025)

Learning outcomes:

• Describe the key roles and responsibilities of primary care providers within the National Lung Cancer Screening Program including patient eligibility and follow up requirements
• Apply lung cancer risk stratification strategies to identify and appropriately refer eligible patients in the NLCSP
• Navigate NLCSP related clinical software, referral pathways and billing processes to support effective implementation in primary care
• Integrate smoking cessation strategies into lung cancer screening conversations to support risk reduction.