The project aims to detect lung cancer in high-risk individuals, particularly current or former smokers, using mobile scanning units stationed at local GAA clubs, including Croke Park.

This was spearheaded by Beaumont RCSI and funded by the Irish Cancer Society with a €4.9 million investment and is expected to identify around 100 cases of lung cancer. Doctors emphasised the importance of early detection, noting that lung health checks using low-dose CT scans can reduce lung cancer mortality by at least 20 percent.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Ireland, with approximately 60 percent of diagnosis occurring at an advanced stage when treatment options are limited. The programme seeks to address that challenge by offering accessible and convenient screening opportunities within the community.

The Lung Health Check will invite high-risk individuals from Centric Health GP practices in North Dublin and the North East to attend screenings at mobile units. Selected GP practices will begin to send out invitations in the coming months, with the first participants estimated to undergo screening by early summer.

Averil Power, Chief Executive of the Irish Cancer Society, described the programme as the largest single investment in lung cancer in Ireland. Professor Daniel Ryan, Respiratory Consultant at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre and Clinical Lead of the pilot, urged those invited to take part, stressing that early detection is critical to improving survival rates.

By bringing screening directly to community locations, the goal is to overcome barriers that have long hindered early diagnosis, and if successful, the pilot could pave the way for a national lung cancer screening programme.