Advocacy hub for lung cancer screening

Start by reviewing the key policy messages and select and adapt those that best fit your national or regional context. Once you know what you want to say, identify who needs to hear it. Useful groups to engage include:

• Policymakers: national, regional or local government officials
• Decision-makers: health system leaders, hospital managers, screening programme leads
• Policy influencers: patient organisations, professional societies, advocacy groups

Find out more

Writing a letter

Writing a letter to a policymaker, decision-maker or policy influencer can be an effective way to make them aware of the issues you have prioritised and ask them for concrete actions. It is important to have specific actions in mind for the letter; otherwise, the policymaker is unlikely to know how to address the issue.

Access template letter

Additional resources

• Frequently asked questions for handling objections from policymakers.
• Use our screening factsheets as an advocacy tool.

Forming coalitions for change strengthens advocacy by turning individual voices into a collective call that policymakers cannot ignore. When researchers, healthcare professionals, patient advocates and civil society groups act as one, the case for implementing LDCT screening becomes harder to dismiss. A united front builds consensus, signals shared urgency and can accelerate real‑world impact.

Coalitions also help advocates pool expertise, coordinate messaging and amplify campaigns across regions and sectors. Joining an existing network can connect you with partners who are already driving change, and create opportunities to contribute to national or international advocacy efforts.

Raising awareness of lung cancer’s impact on people and their families, the challenges faced by people living with the disease, and how LDCT screening can help is a crucial part of advocacy. Presenting powerful statistics and personal stories on how LDCT screening can mitigate these challenges can be an effective way of communicating the need for change.

Awareness days

Awareness days offer ready-made, compelling moments to amplify your message. Aligning your advocacy with these dates can boost visibility, strengthen engagement and help your LDCT screening messages reach audiences who are already paying attention.  They also provide opportunities for social media activity, partnerships and public‑facing campaigns. Guidance and templates are available in the Advocating through social media section.

The following awareness dates are especially relevant for lung cancer and can help maximise the reach of your advocacy work:

• World Cancer Day, 4 February: a global moment to spotlight early detection and push lung cancer higher on the cancer policy agenda.
• European Week Against Cancer, 25–31 May: a window for engaging European policymakers and aligning with broader regional cancer initiatives.
• World No Tobacco Day, 31 May: a natural opportunity to highlight screening for people at higher risk and reinforce messaging about prevention and early detection.
• World Lung Cancer Day, 1 August: a dedicated day to raise awareness of lung cancer specifically and emphasise the life‑saving potential of LDCT screening.
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month, November: a full month to build momentum, share stories and drive sustained advocacy for national screening programmes.

You may also want to identify relevant national awareness days to strengthen and tailor your advocacy efforts.

Social media is an important platform for raising awareness and advocating for the adoption of LDCT screening for lung cancer. To use it effectively, aim to share visually engaging and concise content; link content to relevant audiences using hashtags; and use impactful, well-evidenced statistics.

Our sample social media posts can be adapted to suit specific needs and tone of voice:

Conferences are an opportunity to network with like-minded people who can support advocacy endeavours to implement LDCT screening. Conferences that have a broader political agenda may welcome policymakers and decision-makers too.

LDCT is a cost-effective intervention that not only saves lives from lung cancer, but can also have broader public health benefits.^{1-6 8} Health systems should integrate LDCT screening with smoking cessation services and, where appropriate, other preventive health initiatives to amplify impact and improve population health outcomes.

Supporting resources

Blog posts

• Beyond lung cancer: how LDCT screening could reshape early detection
• Beyond cigarettes: a need for comprehensive tobacco control policies

Factsheets

• Factsheet 3: Reducing deaths from lung cancer is essential to strengthening overall cancer control
• Factsheet 4: LDCT screening offers a targeted approach for detecting lung cancer earlier in people at highest risk

Policy briefs and reports

• Lung cancer screening: an introduction (pages 8–11) in Learning from implementation
• The importance of including lung cancer in national cancer control plans (pages 12–13) in Closing the gap

Screening will have the biggest impact on reducing lung cancer mortality if it reaches the people most at risk, including communities who have historically faced barriers to care.⁹

Policymakers and programme leads should commit to designing LDCT screening systems that close health gaps. This means investing in:

• targeted outreach to underserved and high‑risk groups
• culturally appropriate communication that reflects the needs of diverse communities
• accessible services, including convenient locations, flexible appointment options and support for people facing practical barriers.

Supporting resources

Case studies

• Advancing equity in lung cancer diagnosis: lessons from Ontario’s screening programme
• An equitable national programme for lung cancer screening in Australia
• Lung cancer screening in England
• The screening programme for lung cancer in the Canadian province of British Columbia

Factsheets

• Factsheet 2: LDCT screening can reduce inequalities by targeting people most at risk of lung cancer

Policy briefs and reports

• Targeted outreach can improve recruitment (page 22–24) in Closing the gap
• Develop targeted outreach to address potential barriers to participation in lung cancer screening (page 19–24) in Learning from implementation
• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on eligibility and recruitment 

Health system leaders should begin with well‑designed regional pilots that focus on people at highest risk of lung cancer; this tests delivery models and generates real‑world evidence needed to shape effective long‑term strategies.

Policymakers should act on the evidence and expand successful pilots into nationally coordinated programmes to ensure long‑term sustainability, consistent quality and equitable access.

Supporting resources

Case studies

• Advancing equity in lung cancer diagnosis: lessons from Ontario’s screening programme
• An equitable national programme for lung cancer screening in Australia
• A radiology-led model for LDCT in Norway
• Implementing a national screening programme for lung cancer in South Korea
• Lung cancer screening in Croatia
• Lung cancer screening in England
• The Propulmão project: a multifaceted approach to lung cancer prevention and early detection in Brazil

Policy brief and reports

• Learning from implementation
• Screening in Europe (launch in August)

Eligibility criteria for LDCT screening should be tailored to national and regional risk profiles, and account for factors including age, smoking history, occupational exposure, family history, air pollution exposure and socioeconomic background.¹⁰ Targeted approaches maximise benefit while balancing cost‑effectiveness.

Supporting resources

Case studies

• LDCT implementation framework case studies on eligibility and recruitment: England and Aotearoa New Zealand

Factsheets

• Factsheet 4: LDCT screening offers a targeted approach for detecting lung cancer earlier in people at highest risk

Policy brief and reports

• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer: a focus on eligibility and recruitment
• Tailor eligibility criteria for screening to reach those at highest risk of lung cancer (page 13–18) in Learning from implementation

Policymakers should ensure that LDCT screening is fully integrated into health system pathways, including referral, diagnosis, treatment and follow‑up. Clear governance, defined roles and alignment with existing cancer services are essential for programme effectiveness.

Supporting resources

Policy brief and reports

• Ensure the full integration of lung cancer screening into health systems (page 29–34) in Learning from implementation report
• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on data management and programme evaluation
• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on developing clear protocols for screening
• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on governance
• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on workforce and technical capacity requirements

For long-term success, policymakers must provide adequate investment in LDCT screening. This requires secured funding for lung cancer in national cancer control plans and robust monitoring to hold the system to account.

Supporting resources

Blog posts

• Lung cancer: the looming economic crisis governments can’t ignore

Case studies

• LDCT implementation framework case studies for England and Australia

Policy brief and reports

• Supporting the implementation of lung cancer screening: a focus on financial planning