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Lung cancer screening: did we really need a randomized controlled trial?
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Lung cancer screening: did we really need a randomized controlled trial?

Adnan M. Al-Ayoubi and Raja M. Flores
European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery, Vol.50(1), pp.29-33
07/01/2016
DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezw043
PMID: 27005972
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezw043View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the USA. Within the past decade, two large trials (the National Lung Screening Trial Research and the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program) confirmed a significant role for low-dose CT (LDCT) screening in identifying early stages of cancer leading to reduced mortality in high-risk patients. Given the evidence, the US Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation in favour of LDCT screening for high-risk individuals. Despite the strong support for LDCT among physicians who treat lung cancer and cumulative data demonstrating a survival benefit for screening and early detection, it took more than a decade for lung cancer screening to be embraced at the policy level. With many lives lost in the interim, did we really need a randomized controlled trial to make this decision?
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems Cardiovascular System & Cardiology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Respiratory System Science & Technology Surgery

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