Lung Health & Screening

Lung health screening is an imaging-led assessment designed to look for early lung abnormalities before symptoms become advanced. It may include low-dose CT, ultra-low-dose CT or low-dose Spectral CT depending on the patient’s risk profile and clinical question.

MBR Health provides lung health screening and low-dose CT lung assessment on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Depending on clinical suitability, assessment may include low-dose Spectral CT, ultra-low-dose CT, pulmonary nodule assessment and specialist radiologist interpretation.

Low-dose CT lung screening uses a CT scan with reduced radiation exposure to assess the lungs for nodules and other abnormalities. The Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Program uses low-dose CT scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people without symptoms. The approximate effective radiation dose for a low-dose spectral chest CT (more information than a normal low-dose chest CT) is <1 mSv and ultra-low dose chest CT <0.2 mSv.

Eligibility for Australia’s National Lung Cancer Screening Program includes being aged between 50 and 70, having no signs or symptoms suggesting lung cancer, currently smoking or having quit within the past 10 years, and having a tobacco smoking history of at least 30 pack-years.

MBR Health’s private lung health screening pathway is separate from the National Lung Cancer Screening Program. It may be considered for patients seeking specialist low-dose or spectral CT lung assessment, including those who may not meet public program eligibility or who require a more personalised imaging pathway. Patients who may meet National Lung Cancer Screening Program criteria should discuss eligibility with their GP or healthcare provider.

Spectral CT is an advanced CT technology that can provide additional information beyond conventional CT in selected settings. For lung imaging, it may support lesion assessment, tissue characterisation and more detailed interpretation where spectral information is clinically useful.

Low-dose CT is designed to reduce radiation exposure while maintaining diagnostic image quality for the clinical question. Ultra-low-dose CT reduces dose further and may be appropriate for selected screening or surveillance scenarios where the required information can still be obtained confidently. The best protocol depends on the patient, the clinical question and whether spectral data is needed.

All CT scans involve ionising radiation, so the decision to perform lung CT should be clinically justified. ARPANSA states that national diagnostic reference levels help ensure medical imaging doses are kept as low as reasonably achievable while avoiding unnecessary exposure. At MBR Health, dose is matched to the clinical question and interpreted in the context of expected benefit.

Radiation dose varies depending on patient size, scanner settings and protocol. MBR Health protocol examples include approximately 0.7 mSv for selected low-dose spectral lung CT and approximately 0.2 mSv for selected ultra-low-dose lung CT pathways. For comparison, ARPANSA states that average natural background radiation in Australia is approximately 1.7 mSv per year.

Low-dose CT can detect lung nodules and suspicious findings before symptoms appear. The Australian Government states that lung cancer screening helps detect cancer at an earlier stage, and that early diagnosis can lead to more treatment options and a better chance of cure.

Whole Body MRI may show some lung or chest-related abnormalities, but CT is generally more appropriate for small pulmonary nodules and lung-specific screening questions. At MBR Health, lung CT may be recommended as a targeted complement to Whole Body MRI™ when lung screening or pulmonary nodule assessment is clinically important.

A preventative lung CT may identify pulmonary nodules, early suspicious lung lesions, emphysema, airway disease, bronchiectasis, fibrosis, scarring, post-inflammatory change, occupational lung changes and other clinically relevant lung abnormalities. Findings may require comparison with previous imaging, interval surveillance, targeted diagnostic CT, respiratory referral or specialist review.

Referral requirements depend on whether the scan is being performed as private screening, diagnostic imaging or under a specific Medicare-eligible pathway. Patients should contact MBR Health to confirm referral requirements, pricing and clinical suitability.

Lung screening may be considered in selected non-smokers with relevant risk factors, such as occupational exposure, family history, persistent symptoms, previous inflammatory lung disease or other clinical concerns. However, the decision should be clinically guided. Not every low-risk patient requires lung CT screening.

No. Lung screening does not replace respiratory physician assessment when symptoms, abnormal findings or complex lung disease are present. Imaging helps identify and characterise structural findings. Further management may require GP review, respiratory referral, specialist follow-up or multidisciplinary care.

Yes. MBR Health offers the Executive Preventive Health Program for organisations looking to provide executive health screening for their leadership teams. The program uses precision, multi-modality whole-body imaging to screen for cancer, cardiac, metabolic, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions within a single, integrated pathway. Tailored group offerings are available for organisations. Please enquire directly to discuss your team’s requirements.