Screening smokers and ex-smokers for lung cancer could save thousands of lives. In a study at the University College London NHS Trust, researchers found that of the tumours identified by CT scanning, 70% are still in their early stages – when the disease is often still curable.
"It's really a major breakthrough for lung cancer," Prof Sam Janes, senior investigator for the trial, told The Guardian. "We have many, many patients who can't believe their luck that they've taken part in the trial because they've had a scan, they've had a nodule - an early cancer – detected, and then they've had surgery. That's stopped them presenting to a doctor maybe 18 months later with a cancer that has spread and is often incurable."
The study involved 12,100 smokers and ex-smokers, aged 55 to 78; the screening picked up signs of lung cancer in 180 of them; and in seven out of ten of those cases, it was in its early stages.
The Week, 27 Feb 2021
Questions:
a) Do you smoke? Do you know anyone who smokes?
b) Have you ever experienced taking a CT scan? What was it like?