Are there any risks to CT lung cancer screening?
We know that that from 25 to 50 percent of individuals undergoing screening CT lung scans will have some abnormality (such as small nodules or abnormal clusters of cells). The majority of the time, these abnormal findings are not lung cancer. However, these abnormal findings –old smoking scars, areas of inflammation, other noncancerous conditions– can mimic lung cancer on CT scan and will require additional testing. If small lesions are found in a person undergoing CT lung cancer screening; however, we will ask that person to return for repeat examinations after several months. If their lesion is larger on a later examination, this growth may indicate malignancy (cancer). Again, in most cases, no cancer is found. But by keeping track of any changes in the lesions, we can be more certain that a cancer will be detected early if it is present. These additional tests may cause anxiety or may lead to biopsy or surgery. In addition, there is the possibility that the tumor found with the sc
