A study of 53-thousand current and former smokers showed that screening with low-dose CT scans cut lung cancer deaths by 20 per cent over standard x-rays.
Experts say that amounts to 1 life saved for every 300 patients who were screened.
The CT scans can pick up small abnormalities which wouldn't be visible on x-rays, which have been the traditional method of detection.
Early detection is the key to saving lives from cancer. Yesterday, a study showed that mammograms can cut the risk of death from breast cancer by 30% over time.
Temple University Hospital already has a screening program for high-risk patients, such as smokers, or those with a family history of lung cancer.
Dr. Parag Desai of the Temple Lung Center says, " We look for high-risk patients, somebody who'se smoked for a long time, who has diagnosed or undiagnosed emphysema or COPD." Dr. Desai says the program has caught some early-stage growths, giving patients better odds.
"Catch them early, the more treatment options you have. Later in the game, the treatment options dwindle sometimes," says Dr. Desai.
The CT screening does pick up some false positives - growths which may be benign - so those have to be monitored over time.
For Bonnie Barnes of Olney, a shoulder injury lead to the discovery of a mass on her lung that turned out to be advanced lung cancer.
It was removed last month, and she is about to begin radiation and chemotherapy to make sure her lymph nodes are clear of malignant cells.
She never smoked and doesn't have a strong family history of lung cancer. However, she is thankful for the CT scans that make earlier detection possible.
"I was shocked. For them to tell me I had lung cancer was a big surprise, because I never smoked," she told us. "And I'm still scared, nervous. But I have the attitude that I'm going to beat it."
"And if I my doctor hadn't sent me for the CT scan, they never would have found it," she continued.
Jefferson University Hospital also started a lung nodule clinic after the study's preliminary findings came out in November.
Jefferson doctors say even in its first 3 months of operation, it is clear the clinic has saved lives.
