Lung cancer is the Grim Reaper’s best friend, killing more people within the U.S. than any other cancer. Choosing never to smoke, or choosing to quit smoking is the clear strategy to stay away from dying from cancer of the lung. Smokers who can’t quit have a better chance of surviving cancer of the lung if they’re screened with a CT scan, as opposed to a chest x-ray.
CT scans reduce lung cancer deaths 20 percent
A lung cancer study by the National Cancer Institute found that screening smokers and former smokers with a CT scan once a year reduced deaths from the disease by 20 percent. Middle aged or older smokers or ex-smokers who had smoked a pack a day for at least 30 years were tracked. 53,000 people were watched. Those with CTs were compared with those who had traditional chest x-rays annually. CT stands for low-dose helical computed tomography. The NCI had to stop the study early though. The results were so strong that letting the people in the study know had been important.
Obstacles to CT scans for lung cancer screening
There are some obstacles CT scans for lung cancer have to overcome. The study failed to mention these. Most medical insurance companies including Medicare don't cover the costs of a CT scan for lung cancer. A chest CT scan costs $1,800 as an average as outlined by newchoicehealth.com. The average cost of a standard chest x-ray for lung cancer screening is $370, but the procedure is covered by most plans. Radiation is also a concern. A low-dose CT scan subjects a patient to about 15 times more radiation than a chest x-ray. Occasionally a CT scan will discover things that are considered suspicious anomalies. These aren't tumors some of the time.
Death by lung cancer stopped with CT scan screening
You will find a lot of smokers within the U.S. 80 million people get this title. Because lung cancer is diagnosed too late, about 85 percent of patients with it die. According to CBS News, Steffani Torrighelli, at 67 years, had smoked for 50 years already. She knew lung cancer had been a risk. Two years ago she enrolled within the study. At her first annual CT scan for lung cancer screening, an early stage tumor had been detected before any lung cancer symptoms emerged. The tumor was surgically removed and two years later Torrighelli is cancer free and committed to an annual CT scan for lung cancer screening.
Details from
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/04/AR2010110407687_2.html
CBS News
cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/04/eveningnews/main7023357.shtml
New Choice Health
newchoicehealth.com/Directory/Procedure/8/Chest%20CT%20Scan
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