CT screening reduces lung cancer mortality - study

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Recent findings from Europe’s largest running lung cancer screening trial, the NELSON study, demonstrated that the use of computed tomography (CT) screening with a unique nodule management protocol led to a 26 per cent reduction in deaths among lung cancer patients at eight years of study follow-up.

The findings was presented by Harry J. De Koning, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Public Health & Screening Evaluation, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands, at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC’s) 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).

The study was made to assess the effect of CT screening, in combination with increasing screening intervals, on lung cancer mortality, a statement said.

“These findings show that CT screenings are an effective way to assess and manage nodule volume in lung cancer patients, often leading to detection of suspicious nodules and subsequent surgical intervention, and can positively impact survival rates,” said Dr. De Koning.

Meanwhile, recent findings from the PACIFIC trial found that durvalumab demonstrates statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with placebo for patients with Stage III, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not progressed after chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

“Results of PACIFIC provide compelling evidence for the unprecedented benefit of durvalumab treatment as the standard of care in this patient population,” said Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D., department chair of the Thoracic Oncology Department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa and Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

“Durvalumab offers the first major advance in this disease setting in many years, offering new hope to patients with Stage III, unresectable NSCLC without progression after CRT,” added Dr. Antonia.

Today’s press conference at the IASLC’s 19th WCLC featured some of the year’s most innovative research in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, as well as groundbreaking data which demonstrated an advancement in disease treatment not seen for many years.

More details available at www.iaslc.org and https://wclc2018.iaslc.org.

-- BERNAMA