Substantial new data on the early detection of lung cancer with low-dose CT has become available since the last joint statement of the German Radiological Society and the German Respiratory Society was published in 2011. The German S3 guideline on lung cancer was revised in 2018 and now contains a weak recommendation regarding the early detection of lung cancer with low-dose CT in a quality-assured early detection program. These new developments required a change in the position of the involved professional societies. This joint statement describes the main features of a quality-assured program for the early detection of lung cancer with low-dose CT in Germany. KEY POINTS:: · New study data on early detection of lung cancer with low-dose CT and the new German S3 guideline on lung cancer required a new positioning of the involved professional societies.. · The involved professional societies strongly recommend that low-dose CT examinations for early detection of lung cancer should only be performed within a quality-assured program.. · The article describes some fundamentals of such a quality-assured early detection program.