Lung cancer takes the lives of 17 Americans per hour – more than die from breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. The cost of lung cancer totals $142 billion annually, half of which is in direct health care expenditures. Early detection could save lives and perhaps save costs – but no one has been sure which test was best in doing so.1
Recent studies have concluded that CT scanning is the best tool for detecting lung cancer early – when it is easiest and least-costly to treat.
This graphic illustrates the ability of CT vs. usual care methods to discover lung cancer at various stages of disease progression. The red bars identify the percent of cases identified by low-dose CT; the green bars show the percentage of cases identified by usual care. The orange line shows that the 5-year survival rate of lung cancer is much higher when detected at the earliest stage, but drops rapidly when the disease is discovered at later stages. Source: "The Cost-Effectiveness of Low-Dose CT Screening for Lung Cancer," Wisnivesky, et al, Chest, August 2003.
Baseline low-dose CT scans of high-risk patients "can contribute substantially to the detection of early lung cancer, and thus potentially can decrease lung cancer mortality," according to a study in the journal Chest in August 2003.2Click here for the study
CT found mostly early-stage tumors. Some 80 percent of the malignancies detected by CT were stage I tumors. In contrast, more than 70 percent of the malignancies found by the usual methods were advanced-stage tumors. Treating early stage versus late stage lung cancer costs anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 less per surgery.
The cost per life-year saved of a single CT scan was $2,500 – an amount considered to be highly cost-effective. The compelling cost-effectiveness, according to the study, results from the significantly lower costs of treating early- versus late-stage cancer.
Another study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, is now evaluating which screening method has the greatest impact in reducing a person's chance of dying from lung cancer. The study is expected to be completed in the next several years.
1 "Will Screening for Lung Cancer Save Lives?", Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, September 5, 2003 2 "The Cost-Effectiveness of Low-Dose CT Screening for Lung Cancer: Preliminary Results of Baseline Screening," Wisnivesky JP, Mushlin AI, Sicherman N, Henschke C, Chest, Vol. 124, No. 2; 614-621, August 2003. Also see "Early Lung Cancer Action Project: Overall Design and Findings From Baseline Screening," Henschke CI, McCauley DI, Yankelevitz DF, Naidich DP, McGuinness G, Miettin OS, Libby DM, Pasmantier MW, Koizumi J, Altorki NK, Smith JP, The Lancet, Vol. 354; 99-105; July 10, 1999.
