Lung cancer is the cancer that causes the most deaths. Despite new advances in treatment over the last 20 years, the 5-year survival rate for all lung cancer cases has changed very little (only 18 out of 100-100% of patients survive after 5 years). The most important reason for this is that it is diagnosed too late. In lung cancer, most patients are detected when the disease has spread (stage 3) or metastasized (stage 4) in their own region.

According to the 8th staging system of lung cancer, lesions smaller than 1 cm and without lymph involvement and metastasis are considered stage 1A1. When the disease is diagnosed at this stage and the cancer tissue can be surgically removed, the 5-year survival rate can be up to 90%.

The question then is how can we diagnose the disease in the early stages?

Complaints and chest radiography insufficient for early diagnosis

The fact that complaints such as cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, which are common in lung cancer cases, are thought to be due to other diseases such as COPD or smoking, or that alarming complaints such as coughing up blood, bone pain, convulsions occur in advanced stages of the disease makes it difficult to make an early diagnosis by monitoring complaints.

Lung cancer screening program!!! Low dose lung tomography

Studies have shown that an annual low-dose lung tomography screening program in people who do not have any complaints but are in the risk group because they smoke increases early detection rates and reduces mortality rates by 20%.

And yes; 90% success rate is possible in lung cancer as a result of early diagnosis at Stage 1A1 with the screening program.