Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer reduced lung cancer mortality in Hitachi City

AbstractPurpose: To detect early, curable lung cancer, screening using low-dose CT (CT screening) was initiated in Japan and Western countries around the early 1990s.Material and methods: In 2013, the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) reported that annual CT screening for high-risk participants leads to a 16% reduction in lung cancer death. In Hitachi City, CT screening for citizens 50 years of age or older was started in 1998, and 30% of the citizens had received a CT examination at least once by 2006.Results: We reported excellent survival (5-year survival of 90%) of 210 patients with lung cancer detected by CT screening. Based on a time trend analysis, a significant reduction (24%) in lung cancer mortality was observed 4 to 8 years after the introduction of CT screening among Hitachi residents. CT images can detect numerous smoking-related factors represented by pulmonary emphysematous change (CT emphysema). If we can evaluate the risk of respiratory disease according to these images, the benefits o...