Lung cancer is currently the third most common cancer in the UK, affecting 40,000 people a year.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool and Queen Mary University of London demonstrated further evidence of the benefits of lung cancer screening across socio-economic groups in a new study published in 2015. Lancet Community Health Europe.
New evidence, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Health Technology Assessment Program, also shows the importance of screening individuals living in economically deprived areas.
Lung cancer, which affects around 40,000 people in the UK each year, is currently the third most common cancer in the UK and the leading cause of cancer deaths for an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide.
In the study, the researchers looked at long-term outcomes for participants recruited from across the socioeconomic spectrum and assessed the impact of socioeconomic status on a range of factors, including initial recruitment, selection for screening, detection of lung cancer, and its impact on long-term mortality from lung cancer and other diseases.
The results showed that people from socio-economically disadvantaged groups benefited from low-dose CT scans in terms of lung cancer survival to the same extent as people from advantaged groups.
Additionally, the results showed that screening may have additional health benefits for other smoking-related diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. These diseases disproportionately affect lower socio-economic groups, as they were less likely to cause death if participants had been tested. Low-dose CT scan.
Emphysema is one of the two main lung diseases that make up COPD, a common lung disease that causes airflow restriction and breathing problems, and affects 1.2 million people in the UK.
Dr Chris Warburton, Respiratory Consultant at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance’s Targeted Lung Health Screening Program, commented: In addition to benefiting lung cancer outcomes for the most disadvantaged populations in our society, it may also have widespread beneficial effects on other smoking-related diseases such as COPD and cardiovascular disease. ”
