Lung cancer: Path to early detection

Nearly 7,000 lives could be saved in Norway over the next six years if national lung cancer screening is implemented. That was one of the striking conclusions presented at the 3rd annual Lung Cancer Symposium, held on 25 September 2025 at Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park.

The event served as a vital forum for exchanging data, models, and real-world lessons from early detection efforts in lung cancer.

Saving lives through screening

With cases of lung cancer still often detected too late for curative treatment, the need for population-based screening has never been more urgent.

The symposium put implementation front and center: What would it take to make lung cancer screening a reality in Norway?

Hosted by Oslo Cancer Cluster and Levanger Hospital, and made possible by the support of Oslo Cancer Cluster Members, Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Abbvie.

Backed by data

Professor Oluf Dimitri Røe, a key figure behind Norway’s E‑Lung and TIDL studies, laid out compelling statistics drawn from the HUNT4 cohort and over 88,000 Norwegians. Using conservative thresholds in a validated risk calculator, he showed how screening just 20% of the high-risk population could identify most early-stage lung cancers, potentially curing over 600 people per region in a six-year window.

“With a national screening program based on a 1% six-year risk threshold, we could prevent more than 1,150 lung cancer deaths in Norway every year,” Røe told the audience.

“But raise the threshold to 2%, and you cut that in half. These decisions have real consequences.”

He emphasized the ethical dimensions of age and risk cutoffs, calling for transparent, data-driven frameworks for deciding who gets screened—and who doesn't.

Models across borders

A series of speakers from across the Nordic region presented their national or regional initiatives:

• Finland is leveraging AI-enhanced models to stratify risk and streamline logistics.
• Iceland shared insights from its smaller population model—offering lessons in flexibility and rapid implementation.
• Sweden and Denmark provided updates on the PLUS study and regional pilots.
• From the UK, renowned screening expert David Baldwin stressed the need for dynamic invitations based on individual risk profiles, not just age and pack-years.

“The tools are here. We can now project when to invite someone based on updated risk—not fixed time intervals,” said Dr. Baldwin, professor at Nottingham University Hospital.

“It’s more efficient, and it respects people’s health trajectories.”

Benefits beyond mortality

Several speakers noted that the benefits of screening go beyond lung cancer mortality. Patients identified as high-risk often carry multiple comorbidities—from cardiovascular disease to COPD—which screening programs can help address earlier.

“The impact goes far beyond the nodule on the scan,” emphasised Dr. Baldwin.

“It’s about behavioural change, smoking cessation, and incidental findings. We’ve seen all-cause mortality drop significantly among screened groups—not just cancer deaths.”

Next steps and key takeaways

The mood in the room was upbeat and engaged the whole day, with the symposium finishing on an energetic note with a forward-looking panel: Is now the right time to implement a national screening programme in Norway?

The consensus: the science is ready, public interest is high, and Norway’s health infrastructure is capable. The bottlenecks now lie in political will, resourcing, and policy alignment.

In a fitting final note, Oluf Dimitri Røe expressed cautious optimism.

“Let’s hope this is the last symposium where we talk about the possibility of screening. By next year, I hope we’ll be discussing real implementation.”