Low Dose CT Scan Better for Detecting Lung Cancer Earlier

Until recently the utility of computed tomography (CT) scans in the screening of lung cancer has been controversial. While CT can detect early lung cancers, until now, its impact on patient survival was uncertain.  The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) was designed to answer this question and the verdict is now in.  In a recent release by the National Cancer Institute, the NLST has shown a significant benefit in outcomes comparing high risk patients screened with CT to patients screened with chest x-rays. In fact, the NLST was terminated early because the data was so convincing.  There were 20% fewer lung cancer related deaths in the patients screened with CT.

The University of California, San Francisco has been a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Thoracic surgery, oncology and radiology share a close relationship and combine each of their areas of expertise to maximize treatment of patients with lung cancer.  Every chest CT scan is analyzed thoroughly by a subspecialty trained thoracic radiologist with an in-depth knowledge of issues pertaining to patients with possible and known lung cancer. UCSF physicians are enthusiastic to utilize CT as a valuable tool in the detection of early, treatable lung cancer.