B.C. launches Canada's first lung cancer screening program for high-risk residents

British Columbia has launched the country's first provincewide lung cancer screening program.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the innovative program will both save lives and improve their quality.

Screening will be available at 36 centres across all health authorities using existing CT scans for those who are between 55 and 74, currently smoking or have previously smoked, and have a smoking history of 20 years or more.

Adrian Dix says the program is the first of its kind in Canada and an estimated 10,000 patients are expected to be screened in the first year.

The medical director of the program says 70 per cent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage and the screening aims to detect them earlier, when treatment is more effective.