Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions ā written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Adenocarcinoma of the lung screening
Introduction
Overview
Overview
According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), screening for lung cancer by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended every year among smokers and former smokers who are between 55 to 80 years old and who have smoked 30 pack-years or more and either continue to smoke or have quit within the past 15 years (grade B recommendation). According to the clinical practice guideline issued by the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in 2013, screening for lung cancer by low-dose CT (LDCT) is recommended every year among smokers and former smokers who are age 55 to 74 and who have smoked for 30 pack-years or more and either continue to smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
Screening
Screening
Guidelines
- According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), screening for lung cancer by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended every year among smokers and former smokers who are between 55 to 80 years old and who have smoked 30 pack-years or more and either continue to smoke or have quit within the past 15 years (grade B recommendation).[1]
- According to the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in 2013, screening for lung cancer by low-dose CT (LDCT) is recommended every year among smokers and former smokers who are age 55 to 74 and who have smoked for 30 pack-years or more and either continue to smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.[2]
Strategies[3]
- Advantages:
- There is evidence that screening 55 to 74 year old smokers of 30 or more pack-years or former smokers, who have quit within the last 15 years, reduces lung cancer mortality by 20% and all-cause mortality by 6.7%.
- Diasdvantages:
- At least 98% of all positive low-dose helical computed tomography screening exams do not result in a lung cancer diagnosis.
- False-positive exams may result in unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures.
- Chest x-ray and/or sputum cytology:
- Advantages:
- Screening with chest x-ray and/or sputum cytology has no role in reducing mortality from lung cancer in the general population.
- Disadvantages:
- False positive exams
- At least 95% of all positive chest x-ray screening exams do not result in a lung cancer diagnosis.
- False-positive exams result in unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures.
References
References
- ā Lung Cancer Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 2015. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/lung-cancer-screening Accessed on December 20, 2015
- ā Detterbeck FC, Mazzone PJ, Naidich DP, Bach PB (2013). “Screening for Lung Cancer: Diagnosis and Management of Lung Cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines”. Chest. 143 (5 Suppl): e78Sā92S. doi:10.1378/chest.12-2350. PMIDĀ 23649455. Summary in JournalWatch
- ā Lung Cancer Screening. National Cancer Institute 2015. http://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/hp/lung-screening-pdq Accessed on December 20, 2015
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shanshan Cen, M.D. [2]