Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT (LDCT) is ready for prime time in the USA

Commentary on: Humphrey LL, Deffebach M, Pappas M, et al.. Screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography: a systematic review to update the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation. Ann Intern Med 2013;159:411–20. Context The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has published their long-awaited, updated systematic review of low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer. Last reviewed in 2004, lung cancer screening has been under intense study worldwide for the past decade. The issue of lung cancer screening is important because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the USA and any method that improves lung cancer early detection and diagnosis has the potential to significantly impact overall cancer mortality. Methods The review used the standard USPSTF analytical framework and protocol, included a review of 67 full-text articles. The recommendations focus on four trials of efficacy. The three smaller European...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Smoking and tobacco, Health policy, Clinical trials (epidemiology), Epidemiologic studies, Immunology (including allergy), Stroke, Screening (oncology), Radiology, Clinical diagnostic tests, Radiology (diagnostics), Screening (epidemiology), Health econom Source Type: research