Preliminary results suggest that Chest CT Screening may lead to early detection of lung cancer in certain populations. Early detection and treatment can significantly improve patients' survival rate. However, you should know that routine screening to detect early lung cancer is not currently recommended by either the American Cancer Society or the National Institute of Health. Fifty-five percent of the new cases will be among men. The average age of a patient being diagnosed with lung cancer is 60.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States.
CT allows for the enhanced visualization of the lungs and exceeds the capabilities of standard chest x-rays. In most cases the Chest CT Screening will show the lungs to be normal. However, a variety of lung abnormalities may be detected by CT which would go undetected on chest x-rays. If a nodule is detected from your Screening CT scan, it may be necessary for you to undergo further testing to determine if such an abnormality is malignant. This evaluation may include follow-up CT studies.