Using computed tomography scans to screen former workers of asbestos can be detected early and the last stage of lung cancer and mesothelioma late stage, according to a survey conducted in May Journal of Thoracic Oncology. However, it remains unclear whether the detection of these cancers may improve patient prognosis.
Exposure to asbestos fibers is a known risk factor for lung cancer and cause of mesothelioma. Although asbestos is still not completely banned in the U.S., was eliminated from American industry to a great extent since the 1970s. However, due to asbestos-related diseases can take 20 to 40 years out after people have been exposed, former asbestos workers and those exposed to products containing this substance are still diagnosed with cancer caused cancers asbestos.
As researchers search for better treatments and a cure for these diseases, is also focusing on new diagnostic methods that can identify cancer earlier. Early diagnosis is especially important with mesothelioma, because many patients survive one year after starting to show signs and symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from those of other lung diseases.
A possible detection method uses low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to evaluate the lungs and the lining (pleura). LDCT can locate the plaques in the lungs, which are a sign of exposure to asbestos and have been linked to increased risk of cancer.
Currently, there are no recommendations on the use of LDCT, or any other method of selecting people who have been exposed to asbestos, and the detection is not performed routinely. "Currently there are no methods for early detection of mesothelioma available," says lead author Heidi Roberts, MD, Professor of Radiology, University of Toronto. "This is why we are doing research."
To determine the effectiveness of LDCT as a tool for asbestos-related lung cancer, Dr. Roberts and his colleagues recruited 516 people (most of them men) who had been exposed to asbestos at least 20 years before, or who had known plates. Participants were LDCT scans of the chest. Patients who had abnormal scans were follow-up tests. Those with normal test results were invited to take one LDCT scan.
Of the 516 participants, 357 had evidence of plaques. Based on the results of initial analysis and annual examinations, six patients were diagnosed with lung cancer and four were diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Although LDCT can detect advanced mesothelioma, as the first and last stage of lung cancers, was not able to diagnose early mesothelioma. The study's authors say it is necessary to follow screening patients to help them get a better idea than it seems at the beginning of mesothelioma. Also, they add biomarkers (substances in the blood that indicate the presence of cancer) for the selection process can provide greater sensitivity to help diagnose the very high risk of mesothelioma.
Even when the techniques were refined, the detection is just one step in a three-level in the fight against these cancers, according to Dr. Roberts. "The second step is the parallel development of biomarkers, and the third step is the parallel development of treatment strategies," he says. "These have to be developed hand in hand in order to make this a useful and meaningful."
[Source]
Exposure to asbestos fibers is a known risk factor for lung cancer and cause of mesothelioma. Although asbestos is still not completely banned in the U.S., was eliminated from American industry to a great extent since the 1970s. However, due to asbestos-related diseases can take 20 to 40 years out after people have been exposed, former asbestos workers and those exposed to products containing this substance are still diagnosed with cancer caused cancers asbestos.
As researchers search for better treatments and a cure for these diseases, is also focusing on new diagnostic methods that can identify cancer earlier. Early diagnosis is especially important with mesothelioma, because many patients survive one year after starting to show signs and symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from those of other lung diseases.
A possible detection method uses low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to evaluate the lungs and the lining (pleura). LDCT can locate the plaques in the lungs, which are a sign of exposure to asbestos and have been linked to increased risk of cancer.
Currently, there are no recommendations on the use of LDCT, or any other method of selecting people who have been exposed to asbestos, and the detection is not performed routinely. "Currently there are no methods for early detection of mesothelioma available," says lead author Heidi Roberts, MD, Professor of Radiology, University of Toronto. "This is why we are doing research."
To determine the effectiveness of LDCT as a tool for asbestos-related lung cancer, Dr. Roberts and his colleagues recruited 516 people (most of them men) who had been exposed to asbestos at least 20 years before, or who had known plates. Participants were LDCT scans of the chest. Patients who had abnormal scans were follow-up tests. Those with normal test results were invited to take one LDCT scan.
Of the 516 participants, 357 had evidence of plaques. Based on the results of initial analysis and annual examinations, six patients were diagnosed with lung cancer and four were diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Although LDCT can detect advanced mesothelioma, as the first and last stage of lung cancers, was not able to diagnose early mesothelioma. The study's authors say it is necessary to follow screening patients to help them get a better idea than it seems at the beginning of mesothelioma. Also, they add biomarkers (substances in the blood that indicate the presence of cancer) for the selection process can provide greater sensitivity to help diagnose the very high risk of mesothelioma.
Even when the techniques were refined, the detection is just one step in a three-level in the fight against these cancers, according to Dr. Roberts. "The second step is the parallel development of biomarkers, and the third step is the parallel development of treatment strategies," he says. "These have to be developed hand in hand in order to make this a useful and meaningful."
[Source]
