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
Reason for engaging
Policymakers set and amend health policy at national, regional and local levels. Their decisions determine whether LDCT screening is prioritised, funded and embedded in national cancer plans.
Examples of policymakers
Members of parliament with a health or cancer portfolio; government officials in health and finance ministries; policy advisers; and local leaders, such as mayors or councillors.
Tips on tailoring your communication
- Keep it short; policymakers are busy and will not read lengthy briefings unprompted.
- Lead with the human cost of late-stage diagnosis before introducing the policy ask.
- Frame LDCT screening in terms of their existing priorities: early diagnosis, reducing cancer mortality, health system efficiency, healthy ageing.
- Use the statistics from Network factsheets to ground the conversation in evidence.
- Where possible, include the experiences of people affected by lung cancer. Personal stories are often more persuasive than statistics alone.
- Have a specific, concrete ask ready; this is more actionable than a general expression of concern.
- Where possible, link your message to a current policy moment (e.g. a cancer strategy review, a budget cycle or a relevant awareness day).
Decision-makers
Health system leaders, hospital managers, screening programme leads
Reason for engaging
Decision-makers determine how cancer services are delivered on the ground. Their support can accelerate local pilots and build the evidence base for national roll-out.
Examples of decision-makers
Regional health system leaders, hospital cancer service managers, people responsible for piloting new screening initiatives, health technology assessment (HTA) bodies.
Tips on tailoring your communication
- Focus on operational feasibility e.g. show how screening programmes have been implemented successfully elsewhere.
- Use the case studies in this hub to illustrate what a well-designed programme looks like in practice.
- Address workforce and infrastructure concerns directly; these are often the biggest barriers decision-makers cite.
- Provide clear next steps – even if they are small.
Policy influencers
Patient organisations, professional societies, advocacy groups
Reason for engaging
These groups apply pressure on policymakers and decision-makers and can help amplify your message beyond what any individual advocate can achieve alone.
Examples of policy influencers
Lung cancer patient organisations, oncology professional societies, public health bodies, journalists covering health policy.
Tips on tailoring your communication
- Build the relationship first; then focus on shared goals rather than specific asks.
- Show how their involvement strengthens the collective case.
- Share resources from this hub that they can use in their own communications.
Template letter
Writing a letter to a policymaker or decision-maker 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.
Dear [Name Surname],
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in [insert country statistics from IARC]. Most of these deaths occur because the disease is detected too late; approximately 70% people with lung cancer are diagnosed at a late stage,1 when treatment options are limited, outcomes are poorer and costs to the health system are significant.
Late‑stage lung cancer has far‑reaching social and economic consequences. People diagnosed often face a rapid decline in their ability to work, while some family members step back from employment to provide care.2 For health systems, late‑stage care is almost twice as costly as early‑stage treatment, and places avoidable pressure on already stretched services.3
There is a proven way to change this. Lung cancer detected through screening leads to dramatically better outcomes, with long‑term survival exceeding 80% in screened populations.4 Earlier detection not only saves lives, but enables people to remain active, productive members of society and reduces avoidable healthcare expenditure.
Low‑dose computed tomography (LDCT) is internationally recognised as the gold standard for lung cancer screening. Countries that have implemented LDCT programmes are already seeing the benefits. For example, since England’s programme was initiated in 2019, nearly 75% of lung cancer has been detected at an early stage.5 This represents a marked shift away from the late‑stage diagnoses that remain common in routine care and drive mortality and cost.
Given the strength of the evidence, it is time for decisive action in [country]. I urge you to consider [implementing a national LDCT screening programme/expanding existing pilot programmes] to reduce preventable deaths, strengthen workforce participation and deliver long‑term efficiencies for the health system.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we might work together to advance earlier diagnosis and improve outcomes for people at risk of lung cancer.
Yours sincerely,
[Name Surname]
[Affiliation and contact details]
References
Flores R, Patel P, Alpert N, et al. 2021. Association of Stage Shift and Population Mortality Among Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer. JAMA Network Open 4(12): e2137508
Chiu K, MacEwan JP, May SG, et al. 2022. Estimating Productivity Loss from Breast and Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer among Working-Age Patients and Unpaid Caregivers: A Survey Study Using the Multiplier Method. MDM Policy Pract 7(2): 23814683221113846
Butnari V, Scantlebury P, Green T, et al. 2025. The crucial role of early diagnosis for patients and the nation, understanding the costs of late-stage cancer diagnosis from a large district general hospital in England. Cost Eff Resour Alloc 23(1): 60
Henschke CI, Yip R, Shaham D, et al. 2023. A 20-year Follow-up of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP). Radiology 309(2): 1-8
Lee RW, Nair A, Balata H, et al. 2026. Implementation of the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme over 5 years. Nature Medicine: 10.1038/s41591-026-04292-y