Is Early Lung Cancer Diagnosis Possible? Screening Guideline 2017

For early lung cancer diagnosis, low-radiation-dose chest computed tomography is an important, lifesaving screening method when performed in suitable people at the right time. A guideline has been prepared recommending who should receive this screening and under what conditions. Recently, with new evidence, the guideline was updated regarding benefits, harms and conditions of use and announced by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Recommendations for screening to diagnose lung cancer early can be summarized as follows:

1. People without symptoms suggesting lung cancer (asymptomatic), aged 55-77 and with at least 30 years of smoking—even if they quit within the last 15 years—should be screened annually with low-dose chest computed tomography (CT),
2. Asymptomatic former and current smokers who do not meet the smoking and age criteria above, but are thought to have a high risk of lung cancer, should not undergo annual low-dose CT screening,
3. People who smoked for less than 30 years, are younger than 55 or older than 77, or have not smoked for more than 15 years and are not at high risk of developing lung cancer should not undergo low-dose chest CT,
4. Low-dose CT screening is not recommended for people with serious existing illnesses who are unlikely to receive treatment for early-stage lung cancer or whose long-term life expectancy is limited.

Early-detection screening tests are important for reducing cancer deaths. However, favorable low-dose chest CT results in high-risk people do not mean their existing risk has decreased. Avoiding cigarettes and other tobacco products, avoiding secondhand smoke and avoiding exposure to radon gas and asbestos and other chemicals are examples of distancing yourself from all factors that increase lung cancer risk. This should be remembered as far more important in the fight against cancer.

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