Lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography. In favour

Among cancers, lung cancer ranks third in terms of overall incidence (first in men and fourth in women), but is by far the most lethal1. One of the most serious problems is that lung cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages in the vast majority of patients (more than 80%), with 5-year survivals of less than 20%, figures that have not changed significantly in recent decades2.

Following previous studies of screening with chest radiography, the results of which were not favorable3, in 1999 an important study was published by the ELCAP (Early Lung Cancer Action Program) group on screening in high-risk individuals using low-radiation-dose computed tomography (LDCT), which showed that it was possible to diagnose most lung cancers at early stages (stage I)4.

CITATION  Gac Sanit. Sep-Oct 2016;30(5):386-8. doi: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2016.07.001. Epub 2016 Jul 25