This World Lung Cancer Day, 1st August, let's fight against lung cancer through the power of early screening.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with 1.8 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths annually. The five-year survival rate is just 13.8%, and 75% of cases are detected at late stages, where treatment options are limited and survival rates are low.
Lung cancer screening aims to detect early-stage malignancies, allowing for more effective treatments and better patient outcomes. A 2010 evaluation of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) data showed a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality among high-risk adults who had three annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screenings compared to those with chest X-rays. Further trials confirmed LDCT can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20-30%, especially in women.
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screenings for adults aged 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. However, screening uptake is low, ranging from 5% to 21% of eligible individuals.
Lung cancer diagnosis mainly relies on CT and tissue biopsy, which can be prone to misdiagnosis and are invasive. Non-invasive biomarkers need better sensitivity and specificity. Challenges like tumor location, type, metastases, and complications lead to over half of patients being diagnosed with metastases.
In the quest to enhance clinical care efficiency and efficacy, multiple innovations are being integrated into practice. Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a key role in this transformation.
AI can enhance lung cancer screening by improving each workflow step. AI-based reconstruction reduces doses in low-dose CT scans while maintaining optimal image quality. It can help personalize screening through risk stratification, analyzing vast amounts of imaging and clinical data. AI-powered CAD systems can detect potential lung nodules with high sensitivity, serving as second readers and reducing interpretation time.
It's time to recognize the critical role of early screening and advanced technologies like AI in the fight against lung cancer, improving early detection and optimizing treatment.
Read more at:
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12880
