Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
Health

New Guidelines Back CT Scans For Lung Cancer Screening In Longtime Smoke

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Mar, 2016 10:33 AM
    TORONTO — New guidelines suggest adults aged 55 to 74 who are at high risk of lung cancer due to a history of smoking should be screened annually over three consecutive years using low-dose CT scans.
     
    The guidelines from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care apply to current smokers and those who have quit within the past 15 years with at least a so-called 30 pack-year history of smoking.
     
    A 30 pack-year history would include a person who smoked one pack a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years.
     
    The guidelines are based on recent studies, including a clinical trial that found a 15 per cent reduction in lung cancer deaths among those screened with a CT scan compared to a chest X-ray.   
     
    The task force advises against screening for lung cancer with chest X-rays. It also does not recommend screening among adults outside the 55 to 74 age range, regardless of their smoking history. 
     
     
     
    Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Canada and the No. 1 cause of death from cancer. In 2015, about 26,600 Canadians were diagnosed with lung cancer, and almost 21,000 died from the disease.
     
    "Screening for lung cancer aims to detect disease at an earlier stage, when it may respond better to treatment and be less likely to cause serious illness or death," Dr. Gabriela Lewin, chairwoman of the task force's working group, said in a release Monday.
     
    The recommendations do not apply to people with a family history of lung cancer or those with symptoms suggestive of lung cancer. For people with other risk factors for lung cancer — such as exposure to radon or second-hand smoke, or previous radiation to the chest — it is unknown whether there is benefit from screening with low-dose CT, the authors said.
     
    The guidelines are published in Monday's edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Fever? Headache? Muscle Aches? Forget About Ebola, Go Get Your Flu Shot

    Fever? Headache? Muscle Aches? Forget About Ebola, Go Get Your Flu Shot
    CHICAGO — Fever? Headache? Muscle aches? Forget about Ebola — chances are astronomically higher that you have the flu or some other common bug.

    Fever? Headache? Muscle Aches? Forget About Ebola, Go Get Your Flu Shot

    Gordie Howe's Ailment Shines A Light On Stroke; 5 Things To Know About The Condition

    Gordie Howe's Ailment Shines A Light On Stroke; 5 Things To Know About The Condition
    TORONTO — Hockey legend Gordie Howe has suffered a stroke, his family has revealed. The stroke has left Howe with loss of function on one side of his body and speech difficulties.

    Gordie Howe's Ailment Shines A Light On Stroke; 5 Things To Know About The Condition

    Google Is Developing Tiny Particles That Would Search for Problems in Your Bloodstream

    Google Is Developing Tiny Particles That Would Search for Problems in Your Bloodstream
    LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - Google is working on a cancer-detecting pill in its latest effort to push the boundaries of technology.

    Google Is Developing Tiny Particles That Would Search for Problems in Your Bloodstream

    Black tea, citrus fruits lower ovarian cancer risk

    Black tea, citrus fruits lower ovarian cancer risk
    Having black tea and citrus fruits daily - and red wine occasionally - may lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer, research shows....

    Black tea, citrus fruits lower ovarian cancer risk

    Sleep disturbances linked to higher Alzheimer's risk in men

    Sleep disturbances linked to higher Alzheimer's risk in men
    Elderly men with self-reported sleep disturbances run a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than men without self-reported sleep disturbances, says a study....

    Sleep disturbances linked to higher Alzheimer's risk in men

    How body clock governs female fertility

    How body clock governs female fertility
    Treating infertility in women may soon have a new approach as researchers have now identified the biological clock that governs female fertility....

    How body clock governs female fertility