Dear AuntMinnie.com Member,
The National Cancer Institute this week took an important step toward proving -- or disproving -- the efficacy of lung cancer screening with CT and x-ray. The U.S. agency will spend $200 million over the next eight years in a multicenter trial to determine whether lung screening can reduce lung cancer deaths among current and former smokers.
According to the article by staff editor Eric Barnes, the NCI has launched the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) to try to find ways to reduce the persistently high lung cancer death rate in the U.S. While examining the effect of screening on mortality, the study will also assess whether there are any long-term differences between screening with CT and with chest x-ray. Finally, the group will look at related factors ranging from biomarkers to smoking habits, as well as medical tests associated with lung cancer screening. Read all about it in our CT Digital Community, at http://ct.auntminnie.com.
Radiology professionals should applaud the NCI’s actions. The agency is taking proactive steps toward resolving the debate over the real value of screening. Data gleaned from the 50,000 participants will help determine whether the imaging exams save lives, and if so, how many.
The NLST trial also provides new evidence of radiology's growing importance in healthcare research. Although occasionally maligned, radiology research is crucial in demonstrating the early-detection capabilities made possible by medical imaging technologies. One can hope that the NLST trial will be a harbinger of more good things to come.
