September 21, 2000
BIRMINGHAM, AL — A promising but unproven technology for lung cancer screening will be given a year-long trial at UAB and five other centers across the country. The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) $3 million Lung Screening Study (LSS) of spiral computed tomography (CT) scans will involve 3,000 patients who are current or former smokers.
The study will gauge the feasibility of a larger, longer study designed to determine if the scans save lives — the gold standard for any cancer screening test. No screening technology has been proven effective in reducing the number of deaths from lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
“Evidence from early studies suggest that spiral CT scans detect small lung cancers, often at the edges of the lungs,” said Dr. Mona Fouad, principal investigator for the UAB study. “However, whether finding these tumors actually saves lives remains unknown. The only way to find out is with a large study where people receiving the scans are tracked alongside a control group that does not get them. Such research would be expensive, requiring tens of thousands of participants and five or more years. Thorough review of results from the Lung Screening Study will help researchers decide whether such a study is feasible.”
Dr. William C. Bailey, co-investigator and director of the UAB Lung Health Center added, “We place a great importance on improving the methods of early detection and screening for various cancers, including lung cancer.”
Spiral CT uses X-rays to scan the entire chest in about 15 seconds, during a single breath-hold, according to Dr. Hyrudia Nath, UAB professor of diagnostic radiology. Throughout the procedure, the patient lies still on a table. The table and patient pass through the CT machine, which is shaped like a donut with a large hole. The machine rotates around the patient and a computer creates images from the scan, assembling them into a 3-D model of the lungs. The amount of radiation absorbed during a spiral CT scan is comparable to that absorbed during a mammogram.
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a spiral CT scan or a chest X-ray. Researchers will determine and compare the lung cancer detection rate of each. After the screening exam, board-certified radiologists will review each CT scan and X-ray. Results will be mailed to participants and their physicians within three weeks of the screen. For those with positive chest X-rays, the screening center will recommend standard follow-up care. Because no such standard of care exists for spiral CT scans, participants with suspicious scans will be referred to their primary care physician.
The other five participating centers are at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Washington University, St. Louis; and Marshfield (Wisconsin) Medical Research and Education Foundation. Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is the data coordination center.
During September and October, UAB’s preventive medicine division and Comprehensive Cancer Center will collaborate to enroll 500 volunteers in the Lung Screening Study. For information, call (205) 975-7221 or 1-866-760-5864.