CT Screening for Lung Cancer

For the first time, people at high risk for lung cancer will have access to screening that uses computed tomography (CT) scans.

Preliminary results from the National Lung Screening Trial, released in November 2010, showed that among people at high risk for lung cancer, those who were screened with low-dose spiral CT scans showed a 20 percent reduction in lung-cancer-related mortality compared to those who were screened with standard chest x-rays.

The trial, which Duke did not participate in, included 53,000 participants ages 55 to 74 who were current and former heavy smokers.

“Once those results are published, it will be the first U.S. trial to show in a randomized fashion a benefit from screening people at high risk for lung cancer with low-dose CT scans,” says thoracic surgeon Thomas D’Amico, MD. “Before, CT screening was not thought to be effective. This is an important advance.”

Published results will likely result in third-party payers such as insurance companies and Medicare covering CT scan-based screening for patients at high risk. Right now, such screening is not covered.

Duke is currently developing a lung cancer screening program using CT scans for patients at high risk, to be launched later in 2011.

View the original article here

Lung cancer survival rate - Stage 2 lung cancer

When a person looks for a medical professional about the stage 2 lung cancer, one of the first questions that come to mind is: what is my lung cancer survival rate? This is largely influenced by the medical records showing that lung cancer is one of the lowest chances of survival of cancers in the world. One must realize that these statistics are only numbers and a variety of factors that can affect your chances of being cured. The lung cancer survival rate is affected by several variables. One such variable is age. Younger people tend to have a greater chance of survival for people over 50. This is due to the strong natural defenses younger than the older. Medical records also indicate that women with lung cancer in stage 2 have a greater ability to be cured of their male counterparts the parties. The spread of malignant tumor is a very important factor in determining the survival of lung cancer exchange rate. The tumors may spread from the lung tissu...

Analysis: Life saving lung cancer test to set off cost debate

By Bill Berkrot NEW YORK | Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:07pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - A landmark study showing that routine lung screening of heavy smokers and former smokers using low dose CT scans could save thousands of lives is sure to set off a fierce debate about the cost of such testing on an overburdened healthcare system. The U.S. National Cancer Institute studied more than 53,000 people between the ages of 55 and 74 deemed at high risk of developing lung cancer. It found that screening with the three-dimensional X-rays cut deaths by 20 percent. Details of the study and a discussion of its implications were published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, lending additional weight to initial findings that were released in November. The discussion noted that radiologists using more advanced CT equipment than was available for the study could lead to an even larger reduction in lung cancer deaths. At the same time, the potential for many more false positive results could ri...

What is Lung Cancer - Incidence, Signs, Symptoms, Causation, Prognosis and Treatment

INTRODUCTION Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented, 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Lung cancer has long been the most common cause of cancer death in men and since 1987 it has also become the most common cause of cancer death in women. Lung cancer is the second most commonly occurring form of cancer in most western countries and although the lung cancer incidence is less common in developing countries, the rapid increase in the popularity of smoking will see the number of lung cancer sufferers in those countries quickly catch up with the western world. Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, and 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways (bronchi and bronchioles); for this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called bronchogenic carcinomas or bronchogenic cancers. The most common type of lung cancers are epidermoid carcinoma...

new lung cancer

Search This Blog