Abstract
The preview describes the reasons why screening must be considered; of those, the most important are small numbers of patients with lung cancer surviving for more than 5 years, ranging from 11 % to 16 %, as well as small numbers of cases of early-stage lung cancer diagnosed with standard methods, accounting for less than 20 % in this country. It includes the historical development of the methods used, risks associated with examining patients suspected of having lung cancer and results of studies suggesting that in high-risk individuals, examination using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) should be preferred.
It also gives a detailed overview of the National Lung Screening Trial, the most important completed screening study, in which, for the first time, mortality was significantly lowered (by 20%) in persons screened with LDCT as compared with those examined using chest X-ray. Finally, recommendations valid for the USA and Europe are listed, as issued by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and European Society of Radiology and European Respiratory Society, respectively.