Pilot study of lung cancer screening

In January 2026, a lung cancer screening pilot was launched by the Finnish Cancer Registry in collaboration with Oulu University Hospital.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Finland. Approximately 3000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and only around 15% of patients survive five years after diagnosis. As lung cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages, early detection is crucial for improving outcomes.

Objectives

The pilot investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for the early detection of lung cancer and evaluates how smoking cessation support can be integrated into lung cancer screening programmes.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with the university hospitals of Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere and Turku, as well as Vaasa Central Hospital. It is part of the EUCanScreen project, which is co-funded by the European Union.

Implementation

A total of 1,200 daily smokers aged 50–74 years have been enrolled from five regions across Finland. Eligible participants were required to have smoked daily for at least 25 years, and reside in the regions of Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa, Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, or Southwest Finland.

Recruitment has been completed. The pilot is now assessing smoking cessation outcomes, the performance of LDCT screening, and the spectrum and grading of screening findings.