Results of Lung Cancer Screening with a Spiral Computed Tomography Van - A Study of Findings

—Tabulated for First and Second Years—

Abstract

In recent years, spiral computed tomography has played an increasingly significant role in mass health screenings for lung cancer. Given this development, the Specialists’Committee for Lung Cancer Mass Screening in Nagano-Ken Koseiren (Nagano Prefectural Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives for Health and Welfare) came out with a van of its own suitable for mass screening by use of a spiral CT scanner and organized a caravan team of lung cancer screenings in 2001. With the collaboration of 11 general hospitals affiliated with Nagano-Ken Koseiren and its Health Care Center, our program includes films reading, guidance based on findings, workups, treatment and prognostic management. We examined 6,633 people in the first year and another 6,639 in the second year. In the two years, 55 examinees were found to have lung cancer. In the two years, we had 11,140 initial examinees, 54 of whom were found to suffer from lung cancer (detection rate : 0.48%). As many as 1,862 persons participated in the annual lung cancer screening two years running. Of them, one examinee was found to have lung cancer in the second year (detection rate : 0.05%). The sex-specific rate of detection in the initial screening was 0.25% for males and 0.80% for females, suggesting that the ratio for women was overwhelmingly higher. A histological check of 55 cases found to have lung cancer reveals that 51 cases (93%) had adenocarcinoma. After the removal of detected carcinomas, the diameters of tumors were found for 54 cases. Of them, there were 24 cases (44%) with a micro-cancer less than 10 mm in diameter and 43 cases (80%) with small-sized lung cancer less than 20 mm. In terms of stages, therefore, as many as 48 cases (87%) were in the IA stage, suggesting that this lung cancer screening is significantly useful in detecting lung cancer in an early phase.