CT Scans May Reduce Lung Cancer Deaths

Giving heavy smokers regular CT scans can reduce their chance of dying from lung cancer, a large new study concludes. The study included 53,000 current or former heavy smokers. They were 55 to 74 years old and had no signs or history of lung cancer. Researchers randomly divided them into 2 groups. One group received three annual computed tomography (CT) scans with a low-dose spiral CT machine. The other group received three annual X-rays. Researchers kept track of both groups for another 5 years. In that period, people who got the CT scans were 20% less likely to die of lung cancer than those who got X-rays. In the spiral CT group, 354 people died, compared with 442 people in the other group. The National Cancer Institute announced the study results November 4, the Associated Press reported.