Test Catches Lung Cancer Early

(CBS)  Preliminary results from a study published in The Lancet medical journal suggest that a simple screening test could save thousands of people at risk of developing advanced lung cancer.

In their study, researchers working in the Early Lung Cancer Action Project (ELCAP) showed that a technique called low-dose computed tomography (CT) detected more tumors and early signs of lung cancer than chest X-rays.

Researcher Claudia Henschke and her colleagues at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center and McGill University in Montreal tested 1,000 high risk people - heavy smokers and former smokers.

The people in the study were all at least 60 years old and had been smoking a pack a day for at least 10 years.

Of that group, 23 people had early-stage lung cancer, with some tumors as small as a grain of rice. Using a traditional chest X-ray - the standard way to screen for lung cancer - doctors only found four tumors, CBS News Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports.

When caught early, lung cancer is a very treatable, even curable disease, says Dr. Senay. The CT scan can help doctors catch the disease early, long before symptoms develop.

Thirty years after George Feinberg kicked his three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, a chest x-ray said he was fine. However, when he was later tested with the CT scan, he learned otherwise.

"I think it saved my life," he told CBS News Correspondent Russ Mitchell.

Two years ago, the scan picked up a small tumor in his right lung while he was taking part in the study.

Researchers estimate that the five-year survival rate would go from the current 14 percent to 80 percent if this test were used to screen smokers and ex-smokers once a year for lung cancer.

"In the U.S., there are about 185,000 new cases of lung cancer discovered every year, and we should be able to save 70 to 80 percent of those," says Henschke.

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world and affects more than one in about every 1,000 people. Smoking is a leading cause of the illness.

Screening for lung cancer was generally accepted as ineffective after four trials set up in the 1970s failed to show it reduced deaths from the disease.

Currently, there are no recommendations from the government about who should get the test. But the researchers of the study suggest that screening for lung cancer should become as routine as screening for breast cancer or cervical cancer.

Although CT scans are costly, the screenings are cheaper than the cost of treating people suffering from advanced lung cancer.

Still, this new test is not available everywhere, and won't be until more doctors and technicians learn what to look for.

"If they don't know how to handle all the abnormalities they'll find, a lot of people will go to surgery for unnecessary biopsies," says radiologist Dr. David Yankelevitz.

People who think they may be at risk for lung caner may want to consult their doctors about taking the CT scan.