Is this IMAT's CT scanner they're talking about? Perhaps from the Japan operation? CAP
Tuesday April 28 6:35 PM EDT
CT Aids Lung Cancer Screening
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Early detection of lung cancer greatly improves the chance of a cure.
In Japan, where lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths from cancer, many people are screened
for lung cancer using traditional chest x-rays. Now, Japanese researchers suggest that computed
tomography (CT) is a more accurate method of detecting small, sparse tumors often missed in
mass screening programs.
Dr. Shusuke Sone, of Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, and others report in the April 25th
issue of The Lancet that CT identified almost 10 times more patients with cancer than conventional
screening methods.
The researchers performed CT in a van that they drove to 29 Japanese municipalities. The imaging
resolution of the mobile CT scanner was lower than that of conventional CT units, but even so, it
led to accurate diagnosis of more cases of lung cancer.
Sone's team identified 16,449 adults who had participated in a health survey the year before. At
that time, chest x-rays had shown that all subjects were free of lung cancer. The researchers then
examined 5,583 people using CT alone, 3,967 people using both CT and chest x-rays, and
10,966 people using chest x-rays alone. They also analyzed sputum samples from heavy smokers.
On the basis of CT, the investigators diagnosed lung cancer in 19 participants. These diagnoses
were later confirmed by biopsies or other well-established diagnostic techniques. In 18 of the lung
cancer patients, the cancerous lesions did not appear on chest x-rays, or they appeared but were
misinterpreted.
The CT scanner detected lesions as small as 6 mm, but it did miss one case of lung cancer that
was detected by analysis of sputum samples.
The authors conclude that, compared with chest x-rays, "CT was more accurate in mass screening
for lung cancer and led to early detection." They recommend that a mobile CT scanner should be
considered for use in future screening programs. SOURCE: The Lancet (1998;351:1242-1245) |
