Ahead of World Lung Day, new findings presented at the UICC World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong provide clear evidence that systematic screening can significantly impact lung cancer outcomes, the leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, presented its first comprehensive international evaluation of lung cancer screening at the official press conference on Thursday.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the review consolidates global evidence from major trials and real-world studies, confirming that screening high-risk individuals with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) reduces lung cancer mortality and advanced-stage diagnoses.
Although tobacco use and environmental hazards such as air pollution contribute to lung cancer incidence, late-stage diagnosis is the main reason lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death globally.
Experts at the congress emphasized that effective screening improves public health by enabling earlier, more treatable detection of lung cancer.
The international evaluation also addressed the clinical and operational challenges of implementing population-wide screening programs, beyond mortality statistics.
“These findings provide an important evidence base for countries considering how lung cancer screening may fit within their own health systems. We reviewed not only mortality reduction, but also implementation, participation, smoking cessation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies, providing a much clearer understanding of who benefits most, how programs can be delivered, and how screening can be combined with smoking cessation and other interventions to maximize public health impact." said Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, head of the IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Program and co-author of “IARC Perspective on Lung Cancer Screening”, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The review also examined potential harms such as false positives, overdiagnosis, and radiation exposure, and assessed evidence on risk-prediction models, artificial intelligence, smoking cessation, and other strategies to enhance screening effectiveness and reach.
The findings included updates from Australia’s National Lung Cancer Screening Program, launched in 2025, one of the first targeted national programs following major international trials confirming LDCT screening effectiveness.
Speakers emphasized the need for equitable access to screening, especially for populations traditionally underserved by health systems.
“Australia's experience shows that the challenge is how to build programs that people can access, trust, and use, particularly in communities that have traditionally been underserved by healthcare systems. Reaching the people most at risk requires deliberate effort, strong local partnerships and an unwavering focus on equity.” Said Prof. Dorothy Keefe, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, a UICC member.
At the press conference, Rasika Bombatkar, a lung cancer survivor and advocate from India, shared her experience of being diagnosed at age 26.
Her story underscored the importance of symptom awareness and timely diagnosis, challenging assumptions about lung cancer risk among younger adults and non-smokers.
“I was diagnosed with lung cancer at 26, an age when neither the people treating me nor I initially considered lung cancer a likely diagnosis. Screening can save lives, but it would not have helped someone like me. That is why awareness, listening to patients, and challenging assumptions about who is at risk remain just as important as advances in technology,” said Rasika Bombatkar, Director, Lead Research at the Lung Connect India Foundation.
The study also projected the future global lung cancer burden from waterpipe smoking, a form of tobacco use often seen as less harmful than cigarettes and increasingly popular among young people.
Studies also showed that air pollution and environmental toxins drive biological changes in tumours, contributing to rising lung cancer rates among non-smokers and earlier onset cases.
"The evidence presented today shows the importance of research and its real-world application again. Whether we are talking about lung cancer screening, cancer risk factors, genomics, or artificial intelligence, good data helps countries make informed decisions about where to invest and how to improve outcomes for everyone, regardless of where they live or the resources available to them.” Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control, told the press conference.
Over three days, UICC World Cancer Congress participants are exploring practical solutions to key cancer control challenges, including artificial intelligence, precision oncology, health system financing, cervical cancer elimination, misinformation, and involving people with lived experience in policy and care.