CT Scans Could be More Effective at Diagnosing Lung Cancer than X-Rays

A new study suggests that screening for lung cancer through low-dose computed tomography (CT scans) as opposed to chest X-rays may be a more effective way of detecting the disease.

According to the National Lung Screening Trial, researchers hope that these results will provide a more detailed look about the benefits of various types of lung cancer screenings available to patients and physicians.

The study looked at 26,309 participants who received low-dose CT scans, and 26,035 participants who underwent chest radiography to detect for signs of lung cancer.

The study viewed CT scans, with a total of 7,191 participants (27.3 percent) who had a positive screening result, compared to 2,387 (9.2 percent) in the chest X-ray group. Overall, lung cancer was diagnosed in 292 participants (1.1 percent) in the CT group compared with 190 (0.7 percent) in the radiography group.

Previously, experts had been concerned that the high level of false-positive screenings that occur during CT scans would lead to undue stress, unnecessary testing and high medical bills for patients, according to Medscape Today.

However, the new report reveals that the majority of patients who had a positive result after their CT scan only underwent one additional diagnostic test.

"In many of the previous analyses people have assumed that there would be three or four or five additional diagnostic tests for every positive screen, and this has ramifications for the cost effectiveness of screening," study author Dr. William C. Black, professor of radiology at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. said, according to Medscape Today.

Researchers are hopeful that these results could provide a positive frame of reference for other lunch cancer screening programs.

"If patients and their clinicians are trying to decide whether or not to get screened, they can always refer to these results. They will let patients know what they can expect, what are the likely outcomes, not just in terms of dying of lung cancer, which is only going to happen to a small percentage of people who get screened, but also in terms of the false positives and what happens afterwards," he said.

Those eligible for lung cancer screening include men and women-55 to 74-who have a 30-pack-per year history of smoking and have quit in the last 15 years. They must also be medically fit to undergo surgery.