What are the examinations for preventing lung cancer

At present, the incidence and mortality of lung cancer rank first among malignant tumors in developing countries and regions. According to experts, the number of lung cancer patients in my country has nearly doubled every 15 years over the past half century. It is estimated that by 2025, the number of lung cancer patients in my country will reach 1 million, making it the world's largest lung cancer country.

In order to achieve early diagnosis and early treatment, regular physical examinations and early detection are the key. Professor Wang pointed out that people over 40 years old, with a long history of smoking, and with a family history of lung cancer are all at high risk of lung cancer. It is recommended to have a lung examination once a year, preferably a low-dose spiral CT.

For early lung cancer, the rate of missed diagnosis of chest X-ray is high because the lung tissue overlaps with the mediastinum, heart and diaphragm in the frontal chest X-ray. In contrast, low-dose spiral CT can detect lesions in anatomical blind spots or missed lesions due to overlapping tissue structures in chest X-ray examinations through high-speed, continuous data acquisition and cross-sectional imaging. It significantly improves the ability to detect small nodular lesions in the lungs, which is of great significance for the early detection of lung cancer. Through low-dose spiral CT examinations, the detection rate of small lung cancers with a diameter of less than 1 cm can reach more than 80%.

For lung nodules discovered through low-dose spiral CT examinations, generally speaking, most of the small lung nodules smaller than 4 mm are benign and patients do not need to worry too much; small lung nodules larger than 8 mm have a relatively high chance of malignancy and CT follow-up scans should continue; if "ground glass" nodules are found in the lungs, it is likely a sign of early lung cancer.