Status and perspectives of detection by low-dose computed tomography or computed radiography in surgical patients with lung cancer, based on a five-year study

Background A retrospective study involving 502 lung cancer patients who had received pulmonary resection from 2009–2013 was conducted in order to compare the clinical characteristics of patients whose diagnosis was detected by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) and computed radiography (CR). Methods Two groups were established, based on the method of detection: the LDCT group included 172 lung cancer patients; the CR group included 330 lung cancer patients. The evolution of proportions of patients in urban and rural regions was also analyzed, according to detection method. Results The percentage of patients with stage I was higher in the LDCT group than in the CR group (77.3%, 133/172 vs. 53.6%, 177/330). The incidence of postoperative complications within 30 days was significantly lower in the LDCT than in CR group (25.0% vs. 33.6%). The proportion of patients detected by LDCT or CR in urban regions was constantly higher than in rural regions (with an increase of 13.0% vs. 5.9%); the proportion of LDCT-detected patients in urban regions was constantly higher than in rural regions (with an increase of 8.7% vs. 5.9%). Conclusions LDCT contributes to a higher proportion of early lung cancer diagnoses and a lower incidence of postoperative complications in surgical patients. The proportions of patients detected early and by LDCT have both increased steadily during the last five years. These two trends are more pronounced in urban compared with rural patients.