Targetted screening of people most at risk for lung cancer by using a risk prediction tool may achieve greater reduction in mortality from the disease. However, such a targeted approach does not offer substantial gains in terms of life-years saved and cost-effectiveness. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Lung cancer is one of the commonest cancers and cause of cancer related deaths all over the world. It accounts for 13 per cent of all new cancer cases and 19 per cent of cancer related deaths worldwide. There were 1.8 million new lung cancer cases estimated to occur in 2012. According to a 2015 article in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, in India, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes, it is the commonest cancer and cause of cancer related mortality in men, with the highest reported incidences from Mizoram in both males and females
Currently screening is recommended for persons between the ages of 55 and 74 years with a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years and former smokers who had no more than 15 years of smoking abstinence. However, targeting low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening to persons at highest risk for lung cancer mortality has been suggested as a way to improve screening efficiency. The research was conducted at the Tufts Medical Center.
While high risk patients were more likely to have lung cancer detected, and targeted screening was more likely to avert lung cancer death over the seven years of the trial, those at higher risk were also older, had greater smoking exposure, and were more likely to have a preexisting diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These patients have a shorter life expectancy and a lower quality of life.
