As promised in our last blog entry, today we bring you more information on detecting early stage lung cancer, as presented recently at at the Third European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) inGeneva. Today we present PART II of our report on their findings. You can find PART I of this article by clicking here.
As symbolized by our photo of the week at left, early detection is the key to treatment in lung cancer, and it seems that research is the key to early detection. Recently, we found two more interesting new studies and both of them underline the critical value of early detection in the treatment of lung cancer:
2. Tomosynthesis From Italy: Dr Luca Bertolaccini and Dr Alberto Terzi from S. Croce e Carle Hospital in Cuneo explained an alternative to the current CT scan, called “digital chest tomosynthesis,” a new method for lung cancer screening that has been created by the team.
Based on their studies, the Italian scientists confirmed, “Compared to chest CT, patients who underwent digital chest tomosynthesis received a far lower radiation dose.” In addition to being accurate, this new front line diagnostic tool is less expensive than a CT scan. More study will be necessary, but this method could become a significant new diagnostic tool. We invite you to click and check out their impressive statistical proof.
Meanwhile, in America, findings coincided with the Italian studies. The National Lung Cancer Screening Trial NLST announced remarkable statistics. They found that low-dose computed tomography (CT) reduced lung cancer deaths by up to 20%, when compared to standard chest X-Rays.”
This striking statistic again demonstrates the value of early detection, a concept cherished by the physicians and staff of the Floorida Lung, Asthma & Sleep Specialists. Discover more about the American Lung Association’s screening techniques, studies and research by clicking this resource.
3. Blood and BARD1 From Geneva: Scientists have developed a blood test can be used to detect a protein, BARD1,and they have proven that it drives the growth of cancer. Simply and specifically, the test detects antibodies to the protein, BARD1 . This is another step in finding the telltale signature of early lung cancer. Again, we direct you to a special resource to learn more from researchers at University Hospitals in Geneva.
With many international minds aimed at lung cancer research, the outlook for early detection of lung cancer is becoming a little sunnier from our vantage point at the Florida Lung, Asthma & Sleep Specialists, in Orlando,Florida. As always, thank you for reading our blog, as we continue to report breaking news in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases.