France hopes to make screening for lung cancer routine by 2030

A radiologist conducts a scan on a smoker to check for signs of lung cancer at a hospital in Ajaccio, on the French island of Corsica, on 16 December 2021. © Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP

Screening for lung cancer could become as routine in France as checks for breast or colon cancer, according to Health Minister Stéphanie Rist, who says the country is preparing to roll out a pilot programme to screen thousands of at-risk individuals from next month.

"We want to see widespread lung cancer screening by 2030, and it will start in March with more than 20,000 people eligible for targeted screening," said Rist.