(HealthDay News) — (Tasrir) — The findings — from a study of close to 58,000 patients diagnosed through the U.S. Veterans Health Administration — underscore the importance of early detection through screening.
Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer worldwide.
Current recommendations urge annual screening for 50- to 80-year-olds with a history of smoking a pack a day or more for the last 20 years or two packs a day for the last 10.
Clinical trials have shown screening with computed tomography (CT) scans to be beneficial, but real-world data have been scarce.
This study of U.S. veterans gauged the impact of screening prior to a lung cancer diagnosis.
Researchers found that patients who were screened had higher rates of early stage cancer diagnoses than those who were not screened — ۵۲% versus 27%.
Over five years, they also had lower rates of premature death from any cause (49.8% versus 72.1%) as well as death from cancer (41% versus 70.3%).
“It is incredible to witness how dedicated national efforts to increase lung cancer screening from the Lung Precision Oncology Program can lead to substantial improvements in lung cancer outcomes,” said co-author Dr. Michael Green of the University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
The findings were published June 10 in the journal Cancer.
