Lung CT Scans May Help Detect Cancer

Measuring the growth of small lumps in the lungs may help to detect lung cancer in some people at high risk, a new study suggests. The study included 7,557 people at high risk for lung cancer. Each received a computed tomography (CT) scan of the lungs. If the test showed a small lump called a nodule, it was repeated three months later. Further tests, such as biopsy, were done only for lumps that grew quickly between the two scans. About 40% of people with fast-growing lumps had lung cancer. Everyone else in the study received a follow-up CT scan after one year. That scan found cancer in 1 out of 1,000 people. Another scan after two years found cancer in 3 out of 1,000. These results show that the first round of tests missed few cancers, researchers said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study December 3.