CT Scans (computed tomography) Studied in Lung Cancer Screening

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CT Scans Studied in Lung Cancer Screening

By MELANIE COFFEE
Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO (AP) -- Using computerized scans to screen for lung cancer can help save lives and should be part of a regular checkup for people who have a high risk for the disease, a new study says.

Ninety-six percent of the patients in the study who were diagnosed with lung cancer through CT scans and had the cancer removed found that the disease did not return, said the study's lead investigator, Claudia Henschke, a radiology professor and head of chest imaging at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The earlier lung cancer is found, the better the patients' chances of survival.

Lung cancer causes most cancer deaths, killing more people than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease is often diagnosed at advanced stages when it is incurable and has an average five-year survival rate of only 15 percent.<snip>