Patients are also tested for emphysema by breathing into an instrument called a spirometer that records the amount of air and the rate of air breathed in over a specified time. Daniel estimates that the screening program will uncover some type of abnormality in 30 percent of those tested, but that of those, only 10 percent, or 3 in 100, will turn out to be cancerous. Separating the benign findings from the real ones, and determining which require immediate action and which mandate a wait and see approach, is where the real work comes in, he said. With the help of an advanced computer system, the program's coordinator, U.Va. nurse Jane Guarini, will track the screening results. Guarini said they hope that in a few years, the data will show the screening program improves lung cancer survival rates, and insurance companies will see it is worth covering.
Lung cancer is the most lethal form of cancer among men and women.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 160,000 people in the U.S. die each year from the disease, more than colon, prostate, breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. Screenings are not a panacea, and this is not a cure, but it's the best chance we have right now to help people survive lung cancer. Daniel said he expects 30 to 40 percent of those tested will also have some early stage of emphysema. Appropriate follow-up care with the Division of Pulmonary Medicine will be recommended for those patients. Information on U.Va.