INTERVIEW: Australia among first countries to launch lung cancer screening program

Australians at higher risk of lung cancer are being urged to take advantage of a new screening program that has launched this month. The scan will be free for patients under Medicare bulk-billing through GPs, with eligibility to be determined by age - those between 50 and 70 - and smoking history. It is the first new national cancer screening program in nearly 20 years. Lung cancer is Australia’s fifth most diagnosed cancer, but causes the greatest number of cancer deaths because it is often diagnosed too late. SBS's Biwa Kwan spoke with Anita Dessaix from the Cancer Council, about the at-risk groups the program is targeting; and the goal to prevent over 12,000 deaths over a decade

Anita Dessaix is the chair of Cancer Council Australia's public health committee. Source: Supplied / Cancer Council

Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.