CT scans cut lung cancer deaths by 20%: Study

NEW YORK: Current or former heavy smokers screened with low-dose CT scans experienced a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer deaths compared to those screened using chest X-rays, a US study.

The National Lung Screening Trial, conducted starting in 2002 among 53,454 patients at a high risk of developing lung cancer, is the first to show that screening using low-dose celical computed tomography can reduce lung cancer mortality by identifying tumors early.


Lung cancer is the most lethal form of cancer in the United States, where more than 94 million current or former smokers are at elevated risk of the disease.

Patients have often not learned they had lung cancer until they experience symptoms of the disease, at which time the cancer is likely advanced and has less chances of getting cured.

Scientists compared mortality rates between those current and former heavy smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 who received three annual screenings using low-dose CT scans compared to those receiving chest X-rays for the nearly decade-long study.

Participants had smoked at least a pack a day for a minimum of 30 years, and were current or former smokers without symptoms, signs or history of lung cancer.