EC Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine

Introduction:Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States of America. It is prevalent both in men and women. The 5-year survival rate, even after so many advances in the diagnostic and management approach, has been constant and has not increased more than 14. Screening of lung cancer at an early stage has been of interest by many practitioners as they are smaller and are more curable compared to later stages. Chest Radiography and examination of sputum by cytological means have been used as methods for screen- ing of cancer in early stages but to date, the ultimate goal for the screening of the disease has not been achieved; that is the decrease in disease-specific mortality.

Aim of work : This review highlights lung cancer and the different screening procedures and trials done over the years for lung cancer.

Methodology: The review is a comprehensive research of PUBMED from the year 1979 to 2019.

Conclusion: The leading cause of death in a huge population around the globe is lung cancer. Various screening trials have been started to detect the disease in an earlier stage and start treatment in the preclinical stage of the disease. Sputum Cytology, Low dose Ct scans and radiographs are the main diagnostic tests done for screening trials. Even though there is a lot of pressure from the public to make the screening of lung cancer based only on low dose CT, there should be no short cuts when it comes to rigorous scientific procedures required to diagnose the disease. Well organized randomized studies should be conducted for a better screening program which should be started only after the success of these studies.

Keywords: Screening; Lung Cancer; Primary Care

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