A lung cancer screening program (screening test) is an early diagnosis assessment crucial for an early treatment plan.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer globally and ranks first among cancer deaths worldwide.Lung cancer ranks first among cancers that kill men and second in women.Worldwide, most lung cancers are diagnosed late when metastasis has already occurred.At this stage, surgery is almost impossible. Despite the most advanced treatment methods, 86% of patients die within five years.
For this reason, researchers are working on detecting lung cancer at a very early stage since it is primarily asymptomatic at that stage.
The results of the "National lung cancer screening study" conducted in the USA show that people at high risk for lung cancer are defined as healthy people aged 55-74 years who have smoked at least 30 pack-years but have cessation in less than 15 years.
In this study, lung cancer screening was performed in healthy people once a year for three years with low-dose computed tomography (CT) of the lung, and as a result of the research:
- The rate of early-stage lung cancer detection was increased,
- The rate of late-stage lung cancer presentation decreased.
- For patients who were treated after being early diagnosed with lung cancer during this lung cancer screening program, the mortality rate due to lung cancer decreased by 20%,
- and all-cause mortality rates decreased by 7% in the same patients.

To our knowledge from previous literature, screening methods for lung cancer are scarce.
- It is shown that annual chest radiography and sputum tests do not have a role in preventing or reducing deaths due to lung cancer.
- "Low-dose computed tomography of the lung" can be used as a screening method to be performed on individuals at risk for lung cancer, especially to individuals over the age of 50-55 who have smoked one pack a day (or two packs a day for ten years) for at least 20-30 years.
- Unfortunately, genetic tests do not provide early diagnosis.
- Therefore, the best prevention method for lung cancer is encouraging patients to participate in smoking cessation programs.
