Patients who test negative for lung cancer using low-dose helical CT (LDCT) but later develop lung cancer within the next two years had worse outcomes than patients who initially had a non-cancerous finding. The results were from a Moffitt Cancer Center study that was recently published in PLOS One.

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer deaths among both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancer combined.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends regular LDCT lung cancer screenings for people between the ages of 55 and 74 who have smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years or more. Heavy smokers who have quit within the past 15 years are also encouraged to get screened.
Those guidelines were based on the National Lung Screening trial, which included 53,000 current or former heavy smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 years ago. It found that lung cancer screening with LDCT significantly reduced lung cancer deaths by 20 percent compared to standard chest X-rays.

Other studies have also demonstrated the benefits of LDCT for the high-risk population. The U.K. lung cancer screening trial found that if patients with a high risk of developing lung cancer are diagnosed at an early stage, then they have a 73 percent chance of surviving for five or more years.

The new study used data from that trial to determine the outcomes of the patients who were screened with LDCT after 12 months and also after 24 months. They found that those who had a negative initial screening but tested positive for lung cancer after 12 or 24 months, had lower survival and higher mortality rates compared to those with a positive initial screen.

The findings underscore the importance of high-risk patients getting screened for lung cancer on a continuous basis. According to the researchers, screening is not a “one-time event” and high-risk individuals need to be checked on a yearly basis.

X-Ray Homepage