How 3D Imaging Can Help Detect Early Lung Cancer

At a major international lung cancer meeting this week, VisionGate is presenting data showing how its unique 3D imaging technology can help detect lung cancer in high risk people at an early stage, when the cancer is still potentially curable. Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer deaths, with an estimated 222,520 new cases and 157,300 deaths in 2010 in the US alone. VisonGate's approach builds on a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) study published last week in the on-line ediiton of the New England Journal of Medicine (and also presented at the conference) expanding on the findings of a landmark 53,000 person study showing that low-dose computerized tomography (CT) screening of high risk individuals decreases lung cancer deaths by 20%. But CT scans generate high rates of false positive results—almost one in four--requiring invasive, expensive follow-up testing. 

VisionGate’s non-invasive 3D imaging test can accurately identify early stage lung cancer cells in sputum. At the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer, VisionGate will present a protocol and data showing how its LuCED test could be used along with CT screening to make mass testing of high risk individuals feasible and affordable.

Lung cancer screening pioneer Dr. Claudia Henschke notes, "VisionGate’s LuCED technology has demonstrated promise as an approach that may increase the feasibility of implementing widespread screening of high risk individuals, initially being used as an adjunct to improve the accuracy of CT scan results, with the potential to be used as a primary screening tool if additional trials are successful."

Should you get a full-body "screening" CT scan?

There are various "executive health" programs that advertise that you can get a full-body screening CT scan. If you have a lot of money and your company is willing to pay for expensive (and often unnecessary) medical diagnostic tests, then maybe you're considering the utility of a screening CT. Not me.

Why expose your body to unnecessary radiation? Why risk finding an incidentaloma (which may then lead to further tests, biopsies, procedures, etc.) that might end up being nothing? Why do something that is outside of the scope of routine health screening guidelines?

I understand that large corporations may feel the need to go above and beyond to examine and maintain the health of their key executives. Many companies won't allow a large group of their executives to fly on the same flight. Should an airplane crash, they don't want to lose all their key people. So, they end up staggering people on different flights.