Smokers at Risk of Developing Lung Cancer

Here’s some good news for people at risk of developing lung cancer. An annual CT scan reduces the risk of heavy smokers dying of lung cancer by 20 percent and has the potential to save thousands of lives, according to the results of a large, government-funded study announced today.


Smoking Kiss and exposure to asbestos are risk factors that increase the likelihood of a person developing lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

Loose asbestos fibers or asbestos dust breathed into the lungs also can cause mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, chest or abdomen, and asbestosis, a scarring of the lung.


The study results, released by the National Cancer Institute, provide evidence that a CT scan (known as a spiral CT scan) is preferable to a traditional chest x-ray for lung cancer screening and detecting cancerous tumors at an earlier stage.

Begun in 2002, the nationwide study enrolled more than 53,000 men and women who had a history of heavy smoking such as two packs a day for 15 years or longer. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive three annual screenings with a low dose CT scan or a standard chest x-ray, then followed for up to five years. A total of 354 study participants who received CT scans died of lung cancer while a significantly larger 442 deaths occurred among those who had chest x-rays. That difference was determined to provide a statistically convincing answer to the question of which screening method was better.

CT scans use multiple image x-rays to obtain an entire image of the chest while the patient holds their breath for seven to 15 seconds. A chest x-ray produces a single image of the whole chest.

“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the U.S. and throughout the world, so a validated approach that can reduce lung cancer mortality by even 20 percent has the potential to spare very large numbers of people from the ravages of this disease,” said Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute, said in a press release.

The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung, according to the National Cancer Institute.