M.D. Many people, including some physicians, believe that lung cancer is an untreatable and incurable disease. This is a major cause of a lung cancer morbidity that we face today. This nialistic attitude causes complacency in the medical care delivered to patients at high risk for lung cancer. It also allows a less than enthusiastic approach approach to treatment. Lung cancer is treatable.
Lung cancer can be curable if found early enough.
There has been new developments in the screening of lung cancer by spiral CT scanning. This has demonstrated that lung cancer, of any type, can be detected at a much earlier stage than with standard radiographic procedures, i.e. chest X-ray. This procedure which uses commonly found technology in our new 21st century is not currently covered by most insurances. However the early detection of lung cancer increases the treatment options. Surgery can play a more important and more definitive role.