Indian Lung Screening Trial (ILST)

May 12, 2026 updated by: Abhishek Shankar, All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Low-dose CT Based Lung Cancer Screening Among High-risk Individuals and Availability and Impact of Lung Cancer Care Pathways

The GLOBOCAN 2022 report for India, suggests lung cancer as the second most frequent cancer in males, with a case count at 58,970 forming 8.5% of the entire cancer burden for males in India. Upon including females, lung cancer still figures in the top five (ranked 4th) most frequent cancers in the country with 81,748 cases which is 5.8% of the entire case load of cancer in India. LDCT is the only test to screen for lung cancer recommended by various associations including USPSTF for the high-risk smokers in 50-80 years. There is no conclusive data on the efficacy of LDCT in screening lung cancer in the Indian population and the care pathways which might exist for individuals so diagnosed. There is a severe lack of evidence in accounting for the utility of LDCT in screening lung cancer in India, which is largely formed by underpowered retrospective results. This study will employ a prospective, cohort design in order to evaluate the efficacy of LDCT screening for lung cancer in a high-risk Indian population. The subject will receive a relevant and prompt Multidisciplinary team (MDT) referral if any LDCT scan is found to raise suspicions for cancer. The effective management of lung cancer relies heavily on timely diagnosis, streamlined care pathways and coordinated multidisciplinary treatment approaches. This project also aims to systematically evaluate the existence or absence of formalized care pathways for lung cancer patients within the Indian healthcare system, as part of a broader initiative assessing LDCT screening utility. The project will explore the current referral systems, diagnostic workflows, multidisciplinary team involvement, treatment initiation processes, and follow-up mechanisms. By mapping these pathways, the study will identify key bottlenecks, gaps, and regional disparities affecting patient journeys from suspicion or diagnosis through treatment and survivorship.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

1716

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • India
    • National Capital Territory of Delhi
      • Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India, 110029
        • Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, New Delhi, India
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Abhishek Shankar, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with a history of smoking at least 20 pack-years
  • either current smokers or those who quit within the last 15 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Person who smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime
  • individuals currently receiving treatment for active cancer

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Screening
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: LDCT
Low Dose CT Scan for lung cancer screening
Other: Low dose CT

Participants will undergo comprehensive baseline lung health assessments including clinical examination and questionnaire administration, followed by an LDCT scan. Participants with positive LDCT findings will be referred immediately to a multidisciplinary team (MDT) for further management.

If the baseline LDCT is indeterminate, the participant will undergo a Nodule Follow-Up CT (NFU CT). A positive NFU CT will prompt MDT referral. In cases where the NFU CT remains indeterminate, a second NFU CT will be performed. A positive result at this stage will also result in MDT referral, while a negative result will lead to re-assessment during the next scheduled screening round.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Screen Positive Rate
Time Frame: 0, 12, 24 months
Screen positive rate of LDCT based lung cancer screening in a high-risk Indian population
0, 12, 24 months
Screen positive rate for LDCT in the early detection of lung cancer in a high-risk Indian population
Time Frame: 0, 12, 24 months
0, 12, 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 30, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 12, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AIIMSA5189/07.11.2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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