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It’s anticipated the program, which will include the establishment of new clinics across the province while taking advantage of existing CT technology, will see as many as 20,000 people screened every year. Of that number, the government anticipates about 300 people will be diagnosed each year through the program.
“In 2020, an estimated 3,300 people in B.C. will be diagnosed with lung cancer,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “Through early detection with this new lung cancer screening program, we will see survival rates dramatically improve.”
Dix says the lung cancer screening program will be the first of its kind in Canada.
B.C. Cancer chief medical officer Dr. Kim Chi says the agency has been running a clinical trial on lung screening for high-risk individuals for several years.
“We are confident we have all the tools we need to successfully implement this provincewide program,” Chi said.
The government didn’t reveal a price tag for the program.
Sarah Roth, president and CEO of the B.C. Cancer Foundation, said more people die of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.
“With the new lung cancer screening program, we will have the opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of British Columbians, thanks to early detection and intervention,” Roth said.
Lung cancer is the third-most-common cancer in males and the second most-common cancer in females.
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