Brisbane woman credits free lung-cancer scan for catching 1.6 cm tumour early

Suzi Scott, whose mother died of lung cancer when she was nine, enrolled in Australia’s National Lung Cancer Screening Program and underwent a bulk-billed low-dose CT scan that revealed a 1.6 cm tumour in her right lung. Four weeks later surgeons at The Prince Charles Hospital excised the cancer, after which she recovered in four days and returned to work after a six-week leave, needing no further treatment. Scott, a security worker and former smoker, has now stopped using nicotine and advocates screening for people aged 50-70 with a heavy smoking history.

The program, launched in July, has screened over 117,000 Australians and identified nearly 400 lung cancers, though uptake remains below potential. Lung Foundation Australia’s Mark Brooke and Curtin University’s Fraser Brims highlighted the initiative’s success, called for broader eligibility and stressed the need for integrated smoking-cessation support and specialist nursing care.