A Cure for Cancer?

The lead story in The New York Times this morning, “Scans Cut Deaths by Lung Cancer Among Smokers,” represents a major breakthrough in the ongoing struggle against this dread disease.

While we all dream of waking up one day and reading the ultimate good news headline, “Cancer Cured,” in the real world, it has become more of an incremental situation. That makes today’s story very encouraging because the death rate by lung cancer outstrips every other in its prevalence, including breast cancer.

Scientists found that subjects who underwent a regular CT scan experienced a death rate 20 percent below those who didn’t. As opposed to a regular chest x-ray, CT scans use coordinated x-rays to create a three-D image. They allow earlier detection of the disease, a key step for survivors of a disease that results in a 85 percent mortality rate.

The study followed 53,000 people who smoked the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes every day for 30 years. Called the National Lung Screening Trial, it was conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network and the Cancer Institute.

Further analysis is required to determine more details about exactly what type of person the study helped, but it is an encouraging sign of progress.

The only qualification represents a number of “false positives” generated by regular CT scans. These false positives are generally benign but can lead to a lot of anxiety and unnecessary exploratory surgery.