Lto early diagnosis of lung cancer by screening could save 5,000 heavy smokers every year. And the expected start in the fall of National Lung Cancer Prevention Program it could be the first step to get there.
What is Lung Cancer Prevention Screening?
Funded by the Ministry of Health with 2 million euros, it consists of a 30 second CT scan of the chest (and low-dose radiation). For now, seven thousand citizens between 55 and 75 years old will be recruited for the examthat they smoke 20 cigarettes a day for 30 years or who have stopped smoking the same amount for less than 15 years.
More healing chances
The project involves 18 centers of excellence coordinated by‘National Cancer Institute of Milan. “In more than 70 percent of lung cancer cases are discovered at an advanced stage and this reduces the chances of recovery for a pathology that in 2021 it killed 34 thousand in Italy. Thanks to screening, early stage diagnoses could go from the current 25 to 60 per cent, guaranteeing more effective treatments ”, explains Ugo Pastorino, director of thoracic surgery at the Milanese Institute.
There are over 600,000 high-risk smokers
“THE high-risk smokers potentially candidates for screening are about 600 thousand. When a third of them are involved, 5 thousand lives will be saved ”. A group of experts, including Pastorino, signed the “Pulmoniamo” manifesto which asks for pulmonary screening to be included in the essential levels of assistance (reimbursed by the NHS) and to involve general practitioners in the enrollment of subjects at risk. To register: programmarisp.it.
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