Current status of screening for lung cancer
Flehinger, B.J.; Melamed, M.R.
Chest Surgery Clinics of North America 4(1): 1-15
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 1052-3359 PMID: 8055275 Document Number: 435764
Three parallel studies on screening for lung cancer, supported by the National Cancer Institute, were carried out by the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center from 1971 to 1982. No significant mortality improvement was established that could be attributed to cytologic screening examinations. Many stage I lung cancers were detected by radiographic screening, with excellent changes for long-term survival. Patients with stage I cancers who were operated on had significantly better survival rates than those who failed to undergo surgery. Statistical modeling, however, indicates that long-term annual screening of a high-risk population would decrease lung cancer mortality by no more than 18%.