What are the commonly used methods for lung cancer screening? Which groups of people need chest X-rays to prevent lung cancer?

What are the commonly used methods for lung cancer screening?

How to check lung cancer? The incidence of lung cancer in my country is getting higher and higher, and the number of people dying from lung cancer in my country is increasing every year. Since this disease is difficult to be detected by patients in the early stages, it always leads to missing the best treatment period. Let me introduce to you how to check lung cancer.

1. Sputum exfoliative cytology examination: The positive rate of sputum exfoliative cytology examination is 60%~80%, of which about half can be distinguished. Sampling is convenient and the method is simple. After the patient gargles in the morning, the first and second mouthfuls of sputum are spit out. After the sputum is coughed up from the deep, it should be sent to the laboratory within half an hour, and the sputum with blood should be selected for examination. Generally, 4~6 times of sputum examination is appropriate.

2. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy: Bronchoscopy is an effective means of diagnosing lung cancer. Through bronchoscopy, the location and range of the tumor can be observed, tissue can be obtained for pathological examination, and the possibility of surgical resection can be inferred based on whether the trachea can be compressed by the activity of the vocal cords and whether the carina is active.

3. CT examination: Since the cross-sectional anatomy displayed in the examination has no overlap, it has a high density resolution and can simultaneously examine the lungs and mediastinum. It is most valuable for preoperative discovery of intrapulmonary lymph nodes and can understand the location of enlarged lymph nodes, especially for distinguishing N1, N2, etc. This is conducive to the choice of treatment and helps determine the scope of surgical operation. CT can use different window widths and window positions to accurately distinguish different soft tissues (tumors, mediastinum, pleura) and quantitatively measure CT values. It is very sensitive to the discovery of calcification. When searching for small lesions, CT can use thin layers of less than 1 cm to avoid omissions.

4. Magnetic resonance imaging: Compared with CT, the main feature of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is that it can distinguish vascular or substantial lesions, has no radioactive damage and does not require contrast agent enhancement, and can show the trachea, bronchial tree and bronchus next to the tumor, and compression and displacement of blood vessels.

5. Mediastinoscopy: Mediastinoscopy is an effective means of diagnosing mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer.

6. Open-chest surgical exploration: If sputum cytology, bronchoscopy and needle biopsy fail to establish a cytological diagnosis, open-chest surgical exploration should be considered, but the decision must be made after carefully weighing the pros and cons based on the patient's age, lung function, surgical complications, etc.

Which groups of people need to take chest X-rays to prevent lung cancer?

Taking a chest X-ray is the most effective way to detect lung cancer early. It is recommended that the following types of people in life especially need to use this method for screening.

Data show that 70% of lung cancer patients are already in the advanced stage when the disease is discovered. Currently, the only way to detect lung cancer early is to check the chest X-ray. And practice has proved that chest X-ray is quite helpful for early detection of lung cancer.

So, who in life particularly needs a chest X-ray?

1. Heavy smokers

In other words, smokers who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, or have been smoking for more than 20 years and smoke more than 400 cigarettes a year should pay attention to regular chest X-rays.

2. People with long-term cough and sputum

3. People who have lumps on their bodies for no apparent reason

Such as swollen lymph nodes, skin nodules, scalp lumps, etc. A chest X-ray should be performed to rule out lung tumors.

4. People with special extrapulmonary manifestations

If a man has a lump on one side of the breast, clubbing of the fingers, joint lumps, etc., he should not treat the symptoms without addressing the cause, but instead take a chest X-ray for examination.

5. People with unexplained hoarseness or difficulty swallowing

If this phenomenon occurs, a chest X-ray should be performed promptly.

6. Patients with old pulmonary tuberculosis

When checking the chest X-ray, you should compare it with previous chest X-rays. If there are changes in shape or nature, you should pay attention to the possibility of lung scar cancer. Don't just emphasize the previous tuberculosis and ignore its changes in nature. For recurrent pneumonia, you should also closely review the chest X-ray to rule out the possibility of disease changes, and review the CT scan if necessary.

For the above high-risk groups, chest X-rays should be taken every six months to a year, preferably every six months. Because lung cancer develops quickly and secretly, chest X-rays can often provide evidence for early detection.