Screening for lung cancer? What is the current status?

Kurzfassung: Lung cancer is among the most frequent cancers worldwide with a mean 5-year survival below 20%. Smoking is the leading risk factor. In the past, chest radiografy and sputum have been investigated as screening tools, but negative results were obtained from randomized trials. In the following, randomized controlled trials were initiated to prove that CT screening is capable to reduce lung cancer mortality in heavy smokers. The largest trial, the „National Lung Screening Trial“ in the U.S. with 53454 participants (55 – 74 years old), demonstrated a significant reduction of lung cancer mortality in the…