Lung cancer tumours could be detected at an earlier stage if new high-tech scans are introduced. A...
Lung cancer tumours could be detected at an earlier stage if new high-tech scans are introduced.
A report published in The Lancet outlines positive results from a research programme where scientists combined spiral computed tomogrophy (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) to scan tumours.
A total of 1,035 individuals aged 50 or older who had smoked for 20 years or more were scanned annually using the new technology. Within two years, 22 cases of lung cancer had been diagnosed. Of these, 21 tumours were removed successfully.
Smoking is widely known to significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. Of the patients enrolled on the project, average tobacco consumption was 26 cigarettes a day for 37 years. 71% of the patients were men, with an average age of 58.
According to the Italian scientists conducting the research, the overall five-year survival of lung cancer is just 10%, with late diagnosis being the main reason for treatment failure.
Lead researcher, Dr Ugo Pastorini, stated in the report that the new scanning technique was effective in detecting lung cancer at an earlier stage, but said for many countries it may not prove cost effective.
'In a period of limited resources for ageing pop- ulations, lung cancer screening may not reach a sufficient cost-benefit balance to win against competing medical priorities, even in developed countries. The vigorous debate between supporters and opponents has properly pointed out that the real costs of early detection programmes for the entire community and national health care systems might exceed those sustained by the at-risk volunteers for a private CT scan.'
