Lung Cancer News:

Trial to Test Sprial CT in Early Detection of Lung Cancer

A trial will soon get underway to determine whether screening with spiral computed tomography (CT) before the appearance of symptoms can reduce deaths from lung cancer.

Spiral CT scans the patient's chest and sends the information to a computer that displays three-dimensional images of the patient's lungs.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS) are funding the trial in which participants will receive routine spiral CT screening for three to five years.

The study will examine whether such screenings conducted every six months are a cost-effective means of diagnosing lung cancer early on in people at risk of getting the disease.

Dr. Ralph Vance, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society, said spiral CT is such a high definition diagnostic tool that it may be able to locate very small stage one tumors so patients can be treated early. He said early detection and treatment is crucial in beating all forms of cancer - especially lung cancer.

The national survival rate for all lung cancer patients in 1975 was 37 percent, slowly rising to 42 percent in 1999. The five-year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with lung cancer is 15 percent.

"That's precisely why we are conducting this study," Vance said. "These numbers aren't improving fast enough. If we can find anything cost-effective that will get people motivated to be screened and perhaps treated earlier, then we can be more effective in our fight against the disease."

Vance said smokers should not consider earlier detection as a cure-all cancer therapy. He said the best cancer preventive measure is to abstain from using tobacco products altogether.

"Individuals who quit smoking before age 50 can double their chances of avoiding lung disease over the next 15 years than if they continued to smoke,” Vance said. “That in itself is reason to quit."

Although it has reached its participation goal, the trial remains open for additional participants, especially those of Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanics. For more information or to volunteer for the study, call 1-800-ACS-2345.

Source: Medical Week staff, week of September 25, 2004