ACCP Releases New Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening
The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) released new evidence-based guidelines for the general screening of lung cancer. The guidelines were published in the journal CHEST; the September issue supplement detailed the second edition of the Diagnosis and Management Guidelines for Lung Cancer from the ACCP.
The screening guidelines were based on a review of the literature which examined screening using low dose CT. The team, included researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, the Mayo Clinic, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), formulated screening recommendations for persons with no history of malignancy and no lung cancer symptomatology.
Previous research already rules out use of sputum cytology and chest radiography as useful tools for screening; neither option lowers the mortality from lung cancer. A number of studies more recently have examined the use of both biomarkers and CT assessment, but those studies have focused on the ability to detect lung cancer. Trials were not intended to evaluate either option for general screening purposes, which requires extensive cost analysis.
Additionally, previous CT screening trials that have evaluated either cost and nodule development have produced mixed results. A number of those studies were published previously on Hospital Buyer, including an evaluation by the NY-ELCAP. A different evaluation led by MSKCC was published in JAMA.
Additional trials are underway to evaluate low-dose CT screening for lung cancer for screening purposes, but require multiple years for completion of data collection and analysis. The authors concluded that no appropriate screening modalities have been identified, even for patients at high risk of developing this malignancy. Screening activities are only recommended in the context of clinical trial participation.
Endorsements for the new guidelines include the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, the Oncology Nurses Society, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, among other organizations.
September 21, 2007 Related topics: Pulmonary, Imaging, Partnerships & Consortia, Diagnostic, Radiology