According to new unpublished research, Cancer Research UK reports that the introduction of lung screening for people at high risk of lung cancer could decrease deaths from the disease.
Based on a recent study, lung cancer deaths among men at high risk of lung cancer was 26% lower in those who had screening with a CT scan.
The results suggest that the benefits could be even more significant in women. However, once published, experts said closer scrutiny of the data will be needed.
“The results we’ve heard reporting that CT lung screening can reduce lung cancer deaths are hugely exciting” – Professor Charlie Swanton, Cancer Research UK
Before a nationwide screening programme is put in place, the latest results must be reviewed once they are published in full and weighed out.
However, the Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, Professor Charlie Swanton, is hopeful, saying that “the news we’ve been waiting years for.”
The research was presented by Dr. Harry De Koning of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Toronto, Canada.
Over 15,000 people without lung cancer symptoms, but who had a history of heavy smoking, were included in the NELSON study. Half were offered four lung CT screenings during the study – one screening at the start followed by further scans at one, three and five-and-a-half years. No screening scans were offered to the other half of the participants, and the number of deaths from lung cancer in each group was compared after a minimum of 10 years.
157 people died of lung cancer in the group who had CT screening, compared to 214 lung cancer deaths in the those who didn’t have screening.
De Koning said the results show CT lung screening scans are an effective way not only to find but also assess, lung growths – called nodules – in people who’ve been invited for lung screening.
A release of the results reported that 7 out of 10 cancers (69%) detected through screening were found at the earliest stages (1A or 1B).
De Koning said that earlier detection of these cancers led to surgeries that “increase the chances of cure” and that the results “should be used to inform and direct future CT screening in the world.” 
Swanton is hopeful about what the study implies. However, he added that “Now we need to see the full results published and considered as quickly as possible by the National Screening Committee in the UK.”
The harms and benefits of any potential lung screening programme must be weighed up, both concerning costs and the impact it may have on people.
For example, it’s not yet clear the extent to which cancers may have been detected in the NELSON trial that would have otherwise never caused the patient any harm, a problem called overdiagnosis. This is just one factor to consider, with others including follow up tests that can cause damage or surgery to remove growths that may turn out not to be cancer.
Swanton said the ongoing and planned pilot studies “will help us learn as much possible about how we could make lung cancer screening work nationally.”
“I’ve seen the devastating impact of this disease first hand, with many of my patients diagnosed too late and not surviving more than a year. But these new findings give us hope that we can change the outlook for thousands of patients,” he added.
Please note, the contents of this article do not necessarily represent the official position of the PSMO. If you have any health concerns, please consult your general physician. For any cancer-related concerns and to ensure the best possible advice, please speak to a Cancer Expert. If you would like to reach out to the PSMO, please contact us here or search for your closest PSMO doctor here..
Article Reference Source: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/news-report/2018-09-26-screening-scans-could-cut-lung-cancer-deaths