The survival of lung cancer patients increases by up to 92% of cases, within ten years of being diagnosed, when annual preventative low-dose radiation CAT screening is carried out. This is the conclusion of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Programme (IELCAP) in which the only Spanish-based centres taking part were the University Hospital and the Centre for Research into Applied Medicine (CIMA), both part of the University of Navarre.
This research was undertaken over the last ten years on 31,000 smokers over 40 years of age. Experts from over 40 medical centres from countries such as the USA, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, Canada and China took part. The conclusions were recently published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
Of the 31,000 persons studied, lung cancer was diagnosed in 484 cases, 85% of these with clinical stage I cancer, the most premature. Of those patients diagnosed with clinical stage I cancer, 88% survived for more than 10 years. The rate of survival rises to 92% when surgical treatment is initiated within one month of diagnosis.
Cancer with the poorest prognosis
The discovery is of particular relevance given that lung cancer is currently the most common oncological pathology and the one with the poorest prognosis, with a maximum survival of 15% within five years of diagnosis. The reason why the survival rate is so low is due to the fact that lung cancer shows symptoms very late, to such an extent that when the patient seeks medical attention, the disease is an advanced stage
Nevertheless, the average diameter of the detected tumours in the risk group studied by the IELCAP oscillates between 9 and 13 mm. This involves an earlier stage that can be observed currently. Likewise, CIMA is seeking molecular markers for lung cancer risk and is investigating the existence of biomarkers that alert the presence of a cancer, even before the lesion can be detected by means of a thoracic CAT or other radiological technique.
Economic costs
Preliminary studies carried out indicate the relation between cost and efficacy of the diagnosis is positive, given that, according to doctor Zulueta, ?the economic cost of the treatment for lung cancer at early stages is much less that those at more advanced stages?. Thus, this international research points to the need for health authorities and public health experts to tackle the problem of the early detection of lung cancer amongst populations at risk.