Lung Cancer CT Scans Recommended for Heavy Smokers

Heavy current and past smokers ages 55 to 74 should get yearly lung CT scans, according to new guidelines from several major medical groups. A panel of cancer and chest experts reviewed the results of past studies. One study, the National Lung Screening Trial, found that yearly low-dose CT scans could reduce deaths from lung cancer by 20%. Heavy smokers are people who have smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more for 30 years. About 160,000 people will die of lung cancer in 2012 in the United States. Testing comes with risks, said the experts. These include side effects from radiation and more tests. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the new guidelines online May 20. HealthDay News and the Associated Press wrote about them May 21.