Enter Your Email Address to Receive a
Copy of MedicExhange Member Demograhpics

Joseph W. Belluck, a New York personal injury attorney who concentrates in asbestos illness cases, says news that CT scans improve early detection of lung cancer marks a rare advance against this deadly disease and may also help those who have mesothelioma.

"I have seen those who struggle with the pain and lack of hope connected to this illness," says Belluck, a founding partner of the law firm of Belluck & Fox, LLP. "It's wonderful to see that those who are at risk may soon have a better method for detecting and surviving lung cancer related to asbestos exposure."

Recently released results of a large, government-funded study show that an annual CT scan can spot lung cancer early and reduce the risk of heavy smokers dying from the disease by 20 percent. That progress in detection could save thousands of lives, lung cancer experts say.

Exposure to asbestos is a risk factor that increases the likelihood of a person developing lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Loose asbestos fibers or asbestos dust breathed into the lungs, often in industrial and construction settings, also can cause mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, chest or abdomen, and asbestosis, a scarring of the lung.

The study results, released by the National Cancer Institute, provide evidence that a CT scan (known as a spiral CT scan) is preferable to a traditional chest X-ray for lung cancer screening and detecting cancerous tumors at an earlier stage.

Begun in 2002, the nationwide study enrolled more than 53,000 men and women who had a history of heavy smoking for 15 years or longer. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive three annual screenings with a low dose CT scan or a standard chest X-ray, then followed for up to five years.

A total of 354 study participants who received CT scans died of lung cancer, while a significantly larger number of deaths (442) occurred among those who had chest X-rays. That difference was determined to provide a statistically convincing answer to the question of which screening method was better.

CT scans use multiple image X-rays to obtain an entire image of the chest while patients hold their breath for 7 to 15 seconds. A chest X-ray produces a single image of the whole chest.

“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the U.S. and throughout the world, so a validated approach that can reduce lung cancer mortality by even 20 percent has the potential to spare very large numbers of people from the ravages of this disease,” Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute, said in a press release.

Source: Belluck & Fox

See more about our CT Scans