VACCHO leads Lung Cancer Screening pilot project in partnership with VCCC Alliance

VCCC Alliance is proud to be collaborating with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), which is leading a pilot project as part of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP).

The NLCSP, which officially got underway from 1 July, is designed to support early diagnosis, increased survivorship, and create better lung cancer outcomes for patients.

The pilot project involves designing, implementing and evaluating culturally tailored lung cancer screening at two Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) - the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) and Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative (GEGAC).

Lung cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

VCCC Alliance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program Manager, Dr Shayne Bellingham, said the pilot - a research project - will provide an opportunity to support culturally responsive approaches to screening for Community.

“The project will work within the NLCSP guidelines but will tailor implementation to meet the unique needs of Community members at each site, ensuring cultural safety, accessibility and acceptability across the screening pathway,” Dr Bellingham said.

Speaking at the recent VCCC Alliance Lung Cancer Screening Symposium, Shannon Gleeson, VACCHO Strategic Project Manager, Cancer Journey said the pilot was Aboriginal-led, culturally safe and tailored to local needs. It was important it was not another ‘co-design’ but a model that places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in control at the start. “It’s not just culturally safe, it is culturally-led,” she said.  

The project will:

• Assess the effectiveness of culturally tailored lung cancer screening for Mob in Victoria.
• Examine barriers and facilitators impacting access to lung cancer screening at VAHS and GEGAC
• Gather qualitative feedback from Aboriginal-Led working groups and Community members to inform local initiatives
• Collect and analyse quantitative data from lung health checks including health promotion, participation rates, health service pathways, and demographic profiles
• Evaluate the screening pathway, including process, output, impact and economic evaluation
• Assess the effectiveness of the screening process from a health workforce perspective.

The pilot sites are currently developing culturally informed and tailored approaches to lung cancer screening with their Communities and staff.

Promotion and participation will commence in the second half of 2025.

Researchers will evaluate the project through Yarns, surveys and data collection throughout 2026 and 2027, with a report and findings available in late 2027.

The report on the research findings will be shared with the VAHS and GEGAC staff, clients and Community, other Victorian ACCOs, the NLCSP, and other relevant local and state health services and governments to inform the development of culturally safe lung cancer screening beyond the pilot.