How to choose a lung cancer doctor 2026: which specialties are involved, checking specialist registration, public and private routes and test fees, insurance

Which specialty treats lung cancer?

Most lung cancer patients in Hong Kong at the time were followed up throughout their treatment by Hospital Authority clinical departments such as clinical oncology, cardiothoracic surgery, respiratory medicine, medical oncology and palliative care, with support from pathology, radiology and allied health professionals (Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, Annex One, July 2019); the specialties on the Medical Council register that correspond to these departments are in the table below (this page is compiled by this site).

Chemotherapy in the Hospital Authority is provided by clinical oncologists, medical oncologists and other specialists, palliative care for cancer patients is provided by oncology and medical palliative care teams, and some cancer types have multidisciplinary team clinics or meetings (Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, July 2019).

Our analysis: ‘oncology’ in everyday use can mean either Clinical Oncology (S26) or Medical Oncology (S36); see Clinical Oncology: English name and code and Medical Oncology: English name and code.

Which specialty takes charge of an individual patient, and how the patient is treated, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

I have no symptoms but want to check for lung cancer. What does Hong Kong recommend?

For people without symptoms who are at average risk, routine lung cancer screening is not recommended; for heavy smokers without symptoms, local data are insufficient to set screening criteria and discussing the benefits and risks with a doctor first is recommended, as set out in the table below (Hong Kong Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening, revised June 2023).

The screening recommendations apply only to people without symptoms; people should seek medical attention early if symptoms or bodily changes appear (Hong Kong Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening, revised June 2023).

How do I check a doctor's specialist registration?

On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, the Specialist Register can be opened by specialty; searching by name shows the specialty and the specialist registration number in the specialist registration field of the doctor's record. For the steps, see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty.

A doctor must be on the Specialist Register to hold himself or herself out as a specialist, and can use only the title of the specialty in which he or she is registered (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 7, revised October 2022).

For what qualification abbreviations mean, see What is FHKAM?.

How do I get a referral to a public lung cancer specialist? Can I book a private specialist directly?

To book a new appointment at a Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinic, you need a referral letter issued by a locally registered doctor within the last three months; a letter from a private doctor is also accepted. Our analysis: for a private specialist, you can ask the hospital or clinic directly how to book; if you use medical insurance, whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed depends on the policy terms, and you can ask the insurer first.

‘Eligible Persons’ in the table mainly means holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card and children under 11 who are Hong Kong residents; for details, see Public healthcare fee reform 2026.

For the booking steps, see How to book a public specialist outpatient clinic; for a general comparison of the two routes, see Public or private specialist?.

If your condition gets worse while you wait, you can contact the specialist outpatient clinic to ask for an earlier appointment; in an emergency, go to the Accident and Emergency Department.

How much do CT and PET scans cost?

Among the private hospitals and medical centres this site checked, the 11 that publish a fee for a plain chest CT scan charge from HK$2,900 to HK$5,230, and the 8 that publish a fee for a plain whole-body trunk PET-CT scan charge from HK$15,200 to HK$18,390. (HK dollars; fees published on institution websites as checked on 1 October 2026; pricing bases and what is included, such as the radiologist's fee, differ between institutions; confirm with the hospital.)

The chest CT scan above is the plain scan item on hospital fee schedules and is not stated to be low-dose CT (LDCT). For each hospital's fees, see CT fees compared and PET-CT fees compared; for cancer drug charges and subsidies, see Cancer financial support in Hong Kong.

How do I compare hospitals or medical centres?

When comparing, put the same item on the same basis. Private hospitals must have a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).

For each private hospital's fees, see Private hospital fees.

What should I check when using medical insurance for a lung cancer doctor?

Before seeing a private specialist, confirm three things with the insurer: whether the policy covers specialist outpatient visits, whether it is limited to a designated medical network, and whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed; see Using medical insurance for a private specialist.

The Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme covers only individual indemnity hospital insurance; outpatient insurance is outside the Scheme. The Standard Plan covers up to 1 outpatient or emergency consultation before a hospital stay or day surgery, and up to 3 follow-up outpatient visits within 90 days after discharge or day surgery, which must be directly related to the illness or injury requiring the hospital stay or day surgery, at HK$580 per visit and HK$3,000 per policy year (Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, Standard Plan policy template, July 2022).

Some insurers offer pre-approval (commonly called ‘免找數’): if both the policy and the hospital offer direct billing, you can apply to the insurer before admission and the insurer pays the hospital directly; the approved amount is an estimate, and before discharge you still pay charges not listed in the ‘letter of guarantee’, such as the deductible, co-payment and items outside the cover (Insurance Authority, January 2024); see Medical insurance pre-approval.

What should I ask before booking? What should I bring to the first visit?

Which specialty on the Medical Council's Specialist Register is the doctor listed under?

Does the doctor regularly treat patients with lung cancer? Will the treatment plan be discussed with other specialties?

How much is the first consultation? What tests might be needed this time, and roughly how much will they cost?

Is the test quote an outpatient or inpatient price? Does it include the contrast agent and the radiologist's report fee?

If surgery, radiotherapy or admission is needed later, can a budget estimate of the service fees be provided first?

Is my medical insurance accepted? Is a referral letter or pre-approval needed?

What to bring: a referral letter (if any), previous test reports and images, and a list of the medicines you are taking; see What to prepare before a specialist appointment.

For a fuller checklist of what to ask your doctor and care team after a diagnosis, see what to ask your cancer doctor.

Coughing up blood or no breathing: when should I call 999 or go to A&E straight away?

Call 999 straight away, without waiting for an appointment, for: no breathing (Fire Services Department, First Responder Programme). Where Hong Kong sources do not list a sign, the UK NHS is used; this site suggests going to A&E now, and calling 999 if you cannot get there yourself or it gets worse, for: coughing up more than a few spots or streaks of blood, or coughing up blood with difficulty breathing, a very fast heartbeat, or pain in the chest or upper back (NHS, Coughing up blood, June 2024).

If you feel it is an emergency for any other reason, call 999 straight away too. The situations in which this site suggests calling 999, with the source for each, are listed in Why do we suggest calling 999?.

If it is not urgent and you are not sure which specialty you need, you can see a family doctor first; which specialty to be referred to is decided by the attending doctor according to your condition.

Frequently asked questions