Media Release
The Australian Government’s Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) has disappointingly deferred a decision on enabling the evidenced lifesaving targeted lung cancer screening program.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and Australia is at risk of falling behind other countries who are taking action and implementing varied models of lung cancer screening.
A targeted lung cancer screening program was recommended by Cancer Australia in 2020 and can dramatically increase early detection and survival of this deadly disease – which MSAC has agreed would be lifesaving.
For the past 3 years, Cancer Australia has been investigating the feasibility of a National Targeted Lung Cancer Screening Program collaborating with experts, patients, organisations and clinicians to build the evidence and model.
In the 2021/2022 federal budget the Australian Government provided Cancer Australia with $6million to build the business case for the program and further research efforts into best-practice delivery.
There was no budget allocated to lung cancer screening in the 2022-2023 budget, which Lung Foundation Australia Chair Professor Lucy Morgan hopes is rectified.
“It was a profound upset to the thousands of Australians impacted by lung cancer to see no investment at all in lung cancer screening included in the 2022-2023 budget,” Prof Morgan said.
“We look to the October budget of our new Labor Government to support our community by rolling out the proposed screening program that will so clearly save lives.”
The MSAC deferral is not yet a rejection, but it will be life limiting for many Australians as each further delay means Australians who are at risk of developing lung cancer are missing the opportunity for their cancer to be detected early.
The public summary provided by MSAC states; “MSAC accepted, with a high level of confidence, that the clinical evidence showed a significant reduction in lung cancer mortality from the proposed National Lung Cancer Screening Program,” but sited the reason for deferring a decision being that program delivery and downstream costs are potentially greater than that submitted by Cancer Australia.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke expressed his frustrations, stating that the screening program costs would be a drop in the ocean compared to the $15 billion in tobacco taxes the Australian Government collects each year.
“The decision by MSAC to not approve a targeted lung cancer screening program due to future cost concerns is an insult to the 13,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer every year,” Mr Brooke said.
“Every day 25 people die from lung cancer and another 37 are diagnosed, often with late-stage disease. Lives are on the line. Every day MSAC and the Australian Government holds up the implementation of this program has devastating consequences on people and their families.”
Lung Foundation Australia is calling on the Health Minister to fast track the next phase, put together a more coherent financial analysis, and fund the program’s implementation in the October budget, without delay.