The recommended lung cancer screening test is low-dose computed tomography which is also known as a low-dose CT scan or LDCT. During the LDCT scan, a low amount of radiation is used to make extensive images of the lungs. The scan does not take much time and is painless.
What are the risks of lung cancer screening tests?
Lung cancer screening tests can have the following risks –
- False-positive results – A lung cancer screening test can show that a person has lung cancer even when there is no cancer present in the body. False-positive results can then lead to more follow-up tests and even surgeries in some cases that are not required and can lead to more potential risks.
- Overdiagnosis – A lung cancer screening test may find cancer cases that may not be an issue for the patient. Overdiagnosis can lead to unrequired treatment.
- Dangers from radiation – Exposure to radiation as a result of frequent LDCT tests may cause cancer in healthy people.
Lung cancer screening is recommended for those adults only who are at high risk for developing the disease. It is important to consult the doctor if anyone wants to go in for a screening. The danger of lung cancer can be lessened by quitting smoking. If lung cancer is detected at an earlier stage, it is much easier to be successfully managed and treated. Lung cancer screening is recommended especially for a few people who smoke or used to smoke in the past. They might not be any signs or symptoms. Generally, the lung cancer symptoms will not appear till the disease will be at an advanced stage already. Sometimes, if the symptoms are visible, people may mistake them for something else. This can result in a delay in the diagnosis of the disease.
The most important benefit of a lung cancer screening test is the reduced chance of dying from the disease. However, it is important to note that LDCT may not be able to find all kinds of cancers, all cancers may not be found in the early stages and the screening may not be able to prevent a patient’s death from the disease. In case of any false positive results in the LDCT scans, a person will require more CT scans, and sometimes, invasive tests like a lung biopsy. Some people who go for the screening may end up requiring more CT scans which means exposure to radiation every time which is little more than radiation from a chest x-ray.
What are cancer screening tests?
Cancer screening tests are the tests that aim to look for the presence of any type of cancer in seemingly healthy people or people who have no obvious symptoms of cancer. These are designed to detect cancers at a much early stage when they still can be treated. Some health screening tests are known to have reduced the death rate from a few cancers. Some of the common cancer screening tests that have reduced the cancer death rate are Pap smear for cervical cancer, mammography for breast cancer, as well as colonoscopy for colon cancer. Some of the tests are recommended only for people who are at high risk of developing cancer, like the MRI of the women’s breast who has an increased risk of breast cancer.
What kind of cancer screening tests are recommended?
There are a number of common cancer screening tests that are considered quite effective and are recommended by the experts.
- Breast cancer screening – It is seen that regular mammography has reduced deaths resulting from breast cancer among women aged above 40. It is one of the most common methods to detect breast cancer early. This is when it might still be easier to treat.
- Cervical cancer screening – HPV and Pap tests are the cervical cancer screening tests that are recommended to be done alone or combined. These tests will prevent diseases if done regularly because they enable abnormal cells to be detected and even treated before they turn into cancer.
- Colorectal cancer screening – It is seen that many screening tests, which include colonoscopy, stool tests, etc. have shown a reduction in the death risk from colorectal cancer. These tests are able to find any abnormal growth in the colon that can be removed before becoming cancerous.
- Lung cancer screening – CT scans for cancer screening have resulted in the reduction of lung cancer deaths among people who are heavy smokers. Lung cancer screening is recommended for those adults only who are at high risk for developing the disease like smokers.
Takeaway
By detecting lung cancer early and starting the treatment on time, there may be a good chance of beating the disease. Most of the time, the signs and symptoms of lung cancer become prominent only when the cancer is in its advanced stages. A lung cancer screening test will find cancer even before the symptoms can be seen. www.newsplana.com
