Ontario Lung Screening Program

The Ontario Lung Screening Program is Ontario’s organized screening program for people at high risk of getting lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death for people in Ontario. The reason so many people die from lung cancer is that by the time it is usually diagnosed, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body or is too big.

Lung cancer screening can help find lung cancer early, when treatment has a better chance of working.

Previously, lung cancer screening in Ontario was available through the Lung Cancer Screening Pilot for People at High Risk (the pilot), which ended in March 2021. The hospitals that participated in the pilot are now part of the Ontario Lung Screening Program. We plan to add more Ontario Lung Screening Program sites across the province in the future. For more information on the pilot and to access pilot resources, send us an email.

Who Can Participate in Lung Cancer Screening

Cancer screening is testing done on people who may be at risk of getting cancer, but who generally feel fine may. People may qualify for lung cancer screening if they meet the referral inclusion criteria:

• are 55 to 74 years old, and
• have smoked cigarettes every day for at least 20 years (not necessarily 20 years in a row, which means there could be times when they did not smoke)

Healthcare providers may refer patients to the program, or individuals may contact an Ontario Lung Screening Program site hospital on their own to have the referral inclusion criteria assessed.

Not everyone who meets the referral inclusion criteria will be eligible for lung cancer screening in the program.

To learn more about eligibility and referrals, see Lung Screening Referral Form & Criteria.