National Lung Screening Could Help Prevent 12,000 Deaths Annually (VIDEO)

A recent screening could prevent the death of 12,000 smokers in the U.S., according to reports.

The National Lung Screening Trial, published in 2010, found that 20 percent fewer deaths were found from lung cancer in a group of people at highest risk for the disease when they were screened annually with CT scans, a form of high-resolution X-ray that can spot suspicious lung nodules.

"This is the first paper that attempts to assess the impact of screening on lung cancer cases nationally," one of the authors, Ahmedin Jemal, said according to Reuters. "Twelve thousand is a lot of cases," he said.

The National Lung Screening Trial took current or former smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 who were smoking at least 20 cigarettes a day for 30 years for the scans.

The 20 percent reduction in deaths among people in that category in the trial was "a singular, enormous accomplishment" said Larry Kessler, of the University of Washington in Seattle, who studies the diagnostic value of screening technologies.

"That was a pivotal event that should have woken people up," said Kessler.

The American Cancer Society predicts that the 60,000 who die from lung cancer might be reduced to 48,000 every year if the CT scan were used regularly. This would help identify early-stage nodules that could be removed surgically.

Researchers hope the national screening program will be a huge breakthrough for lung cancer, as screenings provided for this are often done when the health-condition is in later stages and too advanced to be treated.

Want to learn more about the importance of lung cancer screenings? Check out this video, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.