Screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT

Lung cancer represents the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. In the past, many attempts were made to detect the disease at an early stage and subsequently reduce its mortality. Chest X-ray was abandoned for this purpose. For several years low-dose computed tomography has been introduced as a potential tool for early screening in a high-risk population. As demonstrated in several papers, the task is not easy and researchers are faced with many difficulties. This paper reviews mainly the role of low-dose CT for early cancer screening. Results of past and current trials, controversies related to the high rate of lung nodules, cost-effectiveness, and delivered radiation dose to the patient are presented. Finally some limitations of low dose CT for lung cancer detection are explained.