Lung cancer is the deadliest from of cancer and it continues to make numerous new victims each year. A new international trial aims to help people discover the disease before it is too late. That is why at-risk Queenslanders will undergo scanning.

Experts will recruit thousands of people from both Canada and Australia. There should be around 4000 of them, and they are all ex-smokers and smokers that are aged 55 and over.

The major cause of cancer death

Lung cancer remains one of the most violent forms of cancer. In Australia it is the leading cause of cancer death and that is because most people only discover it when it is too late. Experts predict around 12,000 lung cancer causes that will be diagnosed in Australia this year, 5000 for women and 7000 for men.

“Most lung cancers now occur in former smokers who have done the right thing by stopping smoking, and these recent former smokers may benefit from CT screening,” said Professor Fong, who is leading the Australian leg of the trial.

He also added that it is important for patients to discover cancer early on, as their tumours can be surgically removed in that case. He also adds that it is not wise to scan all smokers. That is because the costs would be too high and the radiation from the CT scan could be unnecessary if those people don’t have the disease.

“You want to identify the ones who have the most chance of developing lung cancer and then are most likely to benefit from a scan,” he said. “Not all Australians live in capital cities so we want to make sure we serve the rest of the population as well.” There is also a phone number for those who want to take part in the trial: 07 3139 6632.

Source: www.healththoroughfare.com, by Asheley Rice