National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP)

Health Professionals & Consumers

NLCSP logo

The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) aims to achieve better health outcomes for Australians by detecting lung cancer early and reducing deaths from lung cancer. Early detection can lead to more effective treatment options and improved outcomes for patients. The RANZCR NLCSP webpage provides access to guidelines, training resources and education materials to upskill and prepare the radiology sector for the Program. The webpage has been divided into separate sections depending on your requirements. Please select the most relevant section to access the most relevant resources that will help prepare you for the NLCSP.

Upcoming Educational Events:

Upcoming Events	Dates	Location	Register
Webinar Series: NLCSP Structured Clinical Radiology Report & National Cancer Screening Register	4 June 2025 \| 6:30pm - 7:30pm	Online	Register here
Hobart Workshop	22 June 2025	The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart	Register here
ASM	23-25 October 2025	Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, VIC	Workshop registration coming soon

About the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP)

The NLCSP is a screening program using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people without any symptoms. It is targeted to eligible people aged between 50 to 70 years old with no signs or symptoms of lung cancer.

RANZCR members are uniquely positioned to engage in the program by joining the Australian and New Zealand Society of Thoracic Radiology (ANZSTR). The Special Interest Group is open to all radiologists who report thoracic imaging. For more details visit ranzcr.com/special-interest-groups-anzstr.

RANZCR invites all members to actively engage with the NLCSP and get involved with the opportunities it offers to enhance patient care.

The program is an Australian Government initiative being implemented in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and Cancer Australia.

The program is co-designed in partnership with communities and the healthcare workforce to be person-centred, equity-focused, accessible, and culturally safe. It is co-designed to improve lung cancer outcomes for those disproportionately impacted by lung cancer including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

The program will commence from July 2025 and will help prevent over 500 deaths each year from lung cancer.

Read the RANZCR blog article

Resources for Radiologists

Training and Education

RANZCR have worked with the Australian and New Zealand Society of Thoracic Radiology to produce the NLCSP webinar series and online education modules to train and upskill radiologists in preparation for the NLCSP.

NLCSP Webinar Series

The webinar series provides the radiology sector with essential information on the screening program, as well as introductions to central NLCSP documents such as the Additional Findings Guidelines and the Structured Clinical Radiology Report. The webinar series are currently hosted on the RANZCR NLCSP webpage.

Webinar 1: Introduction to the NLCSP. Presenters – Dr Miranda Siemienowicz & Prof Catherine Jones.

Webinar 2: NLCSP Lung Nodule Management. Presenters – Dr Miranda Siemienowicz & Dr Sally Ayesa.

Webinar 3: CAD and Volumetry Software: Artificial Intelligence and the NLCSP. Presenters – Prof Catherine Jones & Dr Bruno Di Muzio. (editing underway)

Webinar 4: Cultural Safety: being an effective ally for First Nations people. Presenter - Mr AJ Williams-Tchen. (editing underway)

Webinar 5: Additional Findings in the NLCSP. Presenters – Dr Mark McCusker & Dr Diane Pascoe.

Webinar 6: Structured Clinical Radiology Report and the National Cancer Screening Register. Presenters – Prof Samantha Ellis, Mr Amir Shahverdi (Telstra Health).

NLCSP Education Modules

The e-modules are a self-contained, self-paced suite of materials that have been developed out of the ANZSTR/RANZCR Lung Cancer Screening Working Group and presented in an approachable, tailored package that will take any radiologist through all the detail needed to report confidently for the NLCSP.

Content covered in the e-modules includes participant referral, measuring and interpreting nodules, additional findings management, and structured reporting. The e-modules are hosted on the DetectedX education platform. Please log into your myRANZCR profile via the below button to access the modules.

Access E-modules

Further Online Resources

NLCSP resources for radiologists interested in participating in and helping deliver the Program. These include guidelines and information on the overall Program guidelines, low-dose CT scan acquisition, structured reporting and additional findings. Please see links to these essential online radiologist resources here

Radiology Guidelines

Nodule Management Protocol: The NLCSP nodule management protocol contains detailed guidance for the radiologist around reporting lung nodule findings and providing appropriate management recommendations.
Additional Findings Guidelines: provide definitions of common actionable additional findings, to maximise health outcomes for participants, while minimising harm and cost. Actionable additional findings are defined as additional findings, where there is clear opportunity (via further investigation, clinical management, or both) for an improved health outcome for the participant.
Low-dose CT Acquisition Guidelines: provide technical information on how to perform low-dose CT scans for the NLCSP.
Structured Clinical Radiology Report: This document details the fields and content that comprise the NLCSP Structured Clinical Radiology Report. It sets out the format that radiology departments must use to establish a structured reporting template in their own practice. Explanatory notes are included to guide radiologists on how to complete certain fields.

Online Tools & Processes

PanCan Calculator: A mathematical model that generates the probability of a lung cancer diagnosis within 2 – 4 years. The model is based on the Brock University cancer prediction equation, which was derived from the Pan-Canadian Early Detection of Lung Cancer Study screening data.
How to access the National Cancer Screening Register. Visit the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.
How to access your Healthcare Provide Identification Identifier (HPI-I). Visit the AHPRA registration page.
NLCSP Guidelines: Overarching guidelines that contextualise radiologist participation within the greater healthcare sector. These have been written to outline processes for all healthcare professionals and support workers who intersect with the NLCSP as well as to allow participants a broad understanding of the screening and assessment pathway.

Resources for Radiology Practices

NLCSP resources for radiology staff supporting their practice to deliver the NLCSP. Resources include NLCSP patient request forms, software integration guides, an institutional checklist for site preparation and explanation of the NLCSP MSB items.

Additional practice considerations will vary at the local level by staffing arrangements. These include robust workflows for sourcing external prior imaging (key for interpretation of NLCSP low-dose CT) and workflows for accessing relevant participant documentation from the NCSR. The Healthcare Provider Portal of the NCSR can be accessed by delegated staff members. The following documents (when present) are recommended to be made available to the reporting radiologist:

Previous NLCSP low-dose CT report (if external)
Specialist Diagnosis Form (outcomes of multidisciplinary team assessment of high and very high risk participants)
Nodule History Report (tabulated metrics reported by nodule)

Please note: 6-month Transitional Arrangements for NCSR integration

In recognition that, for varying reasons, some radiology providers will not be integrated with the NCSR by 01 July 2025, the Department of Health, Disability and Aging has agreed that there will transitional arrangements in place for 6 months from launch of the Program: Radiology providers will be able to report to the NCSR via post/fax, at the same time the report is sent to the referring healthcare provider. This is not intended to run alongside or replace the primary integration pathway or the submission of radiology reports via the NCSR Healthcare Provider Portal. Post/faxing reports is a 6-month fallback option for providers who have not yet fully integrated with the NCSR.

Radiology Guidelines

Low-dose CT Acquisition Guidelines: provide technical information on how to perform low-dose CT scans for the NLCSP.
Structured Clinical Radiology Report: This document details the fields and content that comprise the NLCSP Structured Clinical Radiology Report. It sets out the format that radiology departments must use to establish a structured reporting template in their own practice. Explanatory notes are included to guide radiologists on how to complete certain fields.
Site Checklist: a template and catalyst for planning within hospitals and local health authorities for implementation of the NLCSP in 2025.

Online Tools & Processes

NLCSP Medicare Benefits Scheme Items: items will be created to provide low-dose CT scans under the program. These will be mandatory bulk billing items and will have mandatory reporting requirements. The new MBS items are for:
1. the screening low-dose CT scan done by the participant approximately every 2 years
2. the interval low-dose CT scans for any follow-up of results of the screening low-dose CT scan.

How to access your Healthcare Provide Identification Identifier (HPI-I). Visit the AHPRA registration page.
NLCSP Request Form: A program-specific low-dose CT request form designed to capture all necessary clinical details to support radiologists’ decision-making.
NLCSP Guidelines: Overarching guidelines that contextualise radiologist participation within the greater healthcare sector. These have been written to outline processes for all healthcare professionals and support workers who intersect with the NLCSP as well as to allow participants a broad understanding of the screening and assessment pathway.

Resources for Radiographers

NLCSP resources to support radiographers deliver the Program. These include the overall Program guidelines and low-dose CT image acquisition guidelines.

Radiographer Resources

NLCSP Guidelines: Overarching guidelines that contextualise radiologist participation within the greater healthcare sector. These have been written to outline processes for all healthcare professionals and support workers who intersect with the NLCSP as well as to allow participants a broad understanding of the screening and assessment pathway.
Low-dose CT Acquisition Guidelines: provide technical information on how to perform low-dose CT scans for the NLCSP.

Resources for the public

National Lung Cancer Screening Program resources for participants and the general public are available on the Department of Health, Disability and NLCSP webpage. These resources support program participants with information about what the program is, eligibility, the low-dose CT scan, how to understand their results, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Visit the Department of Health’s NLCSP website.