A new study in U.S. including both former and current smokers show that early CT scan screening always cuts near about 20 percent death rate of lung cancer. These findings are too much valuable because, this type of cancer is an aggressive disease, which often is undetected. So, once lung cancer diagnosed the mortality rate appears being very high.
In this matter Angela Tauro, after removing a cancerous tumor from her lungs at Yale University Hospital, stated “I am alive today, because I had done CT scan (CAT) in spite of doing existing X-ray.”
With the sequence to the fact of the study from 2002-04, they have involved more than 53,100 middle aged smokers, who always took a pack a day and habit of smoking more than 30 years, in the National Lung Screening Trial. Also X-smokers were qualified in that if they had quit their smoking habit within the period of 15 years. The entire participants there were divided into two groups and with the first group they had done underwent screenings with CT scan for the three years, while with the second group they had done chest X-rays only.
From that the researchers have come to a conclusion that an X-Ray is not quite being able to judge the early symptoms and signs of cancer in the lungs area. But they also found that computerized axial tomography or CT scan is quite being able to provide better details to the doctor.
Dr. Christine Berg, The leader of the study of the National Cancer Institute, stated “In order to get a very thin picture of your entire lung or see the abnormality in your lung you must have to hold your breath during this period.”
Though, the survival rate of lung cancer is too much low. Only 15 percent of the diagnosed patients always live more than five years. But Dr. Berg said “Earlier screening along with low dose CT scan is quite being able to improve the odds dramatically.” Later he also add “If you are diagnosed with stage 1 disease with the help of low dose helical CT scan, then your survival rate may be 60 percent at five years. But unfortunately they are not still 100 percent, though we are expecting to cover that within few years.”
Moreover the entire result of the study showed that the patients, who had done a CT scan, got 20 percent reduction in lung cancer death than those who had undergone through only chest x-rays.
Though few drawbacks is associated with the use of helical CT scans, because one in each five case of scans the results shows a false positive reading.