Ireland’s new lung cancer screening pilot has already been achieving significant success. Multiple high-risk individuals have been diagnosed at early and treatable stages, leading to swift surgical interventions.
Reports this month have highlighted that the program has now performed seven of these curative lung cancer surgeries. Another seven are scheduled in the weeks to come. They are targeting early-stage cancer in asymptomatic patients with a history of smoking.
Local thoracic surgeon Gary Fitzmaurice has highlighted that without the latest CT scans these cancers would have gone unnoticed until the lung cancer cases were much more advanced and difficult to treat.
The Lung Health Check pilot, which began in March 2025, targets current and former smokers aged 55 to 74 in north Dublin and the northeast region. Funded by a €4.9 million grant from the Irish Cancer Society, it is the country’s largest single investment in lung cancer of all time. The initiative operates through the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre.
This campaign invites eligible participants to undergo screening with mobile low-dose CT scanning units stationed at community locations like Gaelic Athletic Association clubs and the Croke Park stadium. These scans are combined with spirometry (breathing capacity testing), smoking cessation support, and other lung health assessments. Approximately 1,600 people have been screened thus far.
Textbook instance of success draws attention
One particular case has effectively illustrated the positive impact this pilot campaign has had. Paul Guinee, a 63-year-old retiree from the Dublin area, decided to accept a screening invitation despite feeling perfectly normal. His scan showed Stage 1 lung cancer.
Following the alarming find in October, surgeons performed a seven-hour robotic procedure to remove the malignant tissue. He recovered within a couple of weeks.
“They got it at a stage where they could do something about it,” he stated, adding that the early detection likely spared him major complications or even death.
“The best part of this journey is the end result is curative,” commented Helena McMullan, Irish regional director at Alliance Medical Diagnostic Imaging.
Delighted to see the Beaumont RCSI led Lung Health Check in the news today celebrating Paul Guinee, one of the first people to have surgery for early stage screen detected lung cancer. #LungCancer #BeaumontRCSICancerCentre #screening #EarlyDetection pic.twitter.com/qfcVqQd1fN
— Lung Health Check Ireland (@lung_check_ie) January 19, 2026
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Initiative aims to curb deaths by 20%
The establishment of this Lung Outreach Programme marks a pivotal shift toward proactive prevention in Ireland, where lung cancer claims more lives annually than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined.
By prioritizing early intervention for high-risk groups, it seeks to reduce mortality by 20 per cent or more if expanded throughout the country. The program/initiative/approach seeks to tackle the fact that doctors still diagnose six out of 10 Irish cases late, at a stage when treatment has much less impact.
Ireland records nearly 3,000 new lung cancer cases each year. The nation has an age-standardized incidence rate of around 31 to 32 per 100,000. This rate of occurrence is comparable to the United States (about 31.9) but higher than average in comparison to other European nations.
Mortality remains particularly high, often driven by late detection. Countries with lower incidence like Japan sit at 15 to 16 per 100,000. These figures highlight the program’s significance in tackling one of Ireland’s most pressing health challenges.
Great to see our #LungHealthCheck trial led by @danennis100 featured in @rtenews, with the first curative surgeries done for stage I lung cancer
Congrats to the team @CancerCentreIre with @IrishCancerSoc @CancerInstIRE @NSShse @AllianceMedica1 @PRiCAN_Research & more #LCSM https://t.co/OC9eKgPCCU
— Jarushka Naidoo (@DrJNaidoo) January 20, 2026
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