Nova Scotia’s Lung Screening Program is expanding to Cape Breton and the eastern mainland.
The program, which targets people at a very high risk of developing lung cancer, is now available in Nova Scotia Health’s eastern zone.
The eastern zone includes all of Cape Breton, as well as Antigonish and Guysborough counties.
“Cancer screening saves lives, and expanding the lung screening program will improve outcomes for people by preventing or finding and treating lung cancer earlier,” said Addictions and Mental Health Minister Brian Comer, MLA for Cape Breton East, on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson.
Nova Scotians aged 50 to 74 who have smoked daily for 20 years or more at any point in their lives can contact the program by calling 1-833-505-LUNG (5864).
Primary care providers can also refer patients to the program.
“More Nova Scotians die of lung cancer than all other cancers combined, and there is a lot of shame associated with it. Many people believe that they bring it on themselves because they smoke, but smoking is an addiction, and we are here to help,” said Dr. Daria Manos, medical director of the Lung Screening Program.
“This is why the Lung Screening Program offers tobacco cessation supports to anyone interested in quitting. However, a person does not have to stop smoking to qualify for lung screening. Our job is to help Nova Scotians prevent lung cancer when we can or find it earlier when treatment works better.”
People who meet the initial program criteria are offered a clinical assessment to determine their personal risk of lung cancer and whether they would benefit from a low-dose computerized tomography (CT) chest scan.
The province says everyone who calls the program will receive information about lung health and, if applicable, supports available to stop smoking.
The provincial government says, to date, more than 2,700 people have called or been referred to the program, which launched in the Halifax Regional Municipality and West Hants in January 2024.
It will continue to be expanded across the province over the next year, according to a provincial news release.
The Nova Scotia government says lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the province, with about 1,000 Nova Scotians diagnosed and 700 dying from the disease each year.
The province will spend about $3 million on the program each year once it is fully implemented across Nova Scotia.
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