Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death, ahead of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.  However, screening strategies have been comparatively limited.  This landmark article demonstrates the use of low-dose CT to screen for lung cancer, and has led to the Grade B recommendation by the USPSTF for lung cancer screening.  Remember, screening means inclusion of patients who are asymptomatic, and this is distinct from established criteria for evaluation of pulmonary incidentalomas.

Questions to answer:

• What are the inclusions criteria for low-dose CT screening?
• What was the positive predictive value of low-dose CT for cancer?
• What was the number needed to treat to prevent one lung cancer death (and who was it calculated)?
• Is this a cost-effective strategy?