Study Says Lung Cancer Survival Increases Sharply If Caught Early

According to a recent study in England, increased screening to identify and monitor people at high risk for lung cancer could increase their chance for five-year survival by nearly three-quarters. 

Researchers at the University of Liverpool suggest leaders in Britain set up a national screening program to catch more lung cancer earlier, with the hope of saving, or preserving, the lives of people diagnosed with the disease. 

Already difficult to treat, lung cancer often poses an even greater challenge for doctors because 70 percent of the time it is not found until it is at an advanced stage and possibly incurable. 

The large trial undertaken by researchers is the first to be conducted in England, and uses a population-based questionnaire to identify people at high risk for the disease, researchers said.  A similar trial in the United States is said to have reduced lung cancer death by about 20 percent. 

Screening for lung cancer means testing for cancer before there are any symptoms.  The Lung Center at Hillcrest offers a lung cancer screening to help guide you.  LungExam.com has been designed to help you determine if you are a candidate for a lung cancer screening, provide details of a screening, the costs involved and other important information. 

At Oklahoma CyberKnife, we treat early stage lung cancer with the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System.  CyberKnife painlessly delivers precise beams of radiation to tumors and lesions, without requiring incisions, hospitalization, or long recovery time.  It can serve as an effective lung cancer treatment and is an especially good option for patients with complex tumors or patients who prefer a nonsurgical way to treat their cancer.  To learn more about CyberKnife technology, please click here, or for more information on Oklahoma CyberKnife, please click here.