1. Changes in Staging and Management of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Patients Following the Implementation of Low-Dose Chest Computed Tomography (LDCT) Screening at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital.
- Author
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Chen, Chin-Ling, Hsu, Jui-Sheng, Shen, Yi-Wen, Hsu, Chih-Hsiang, Kao, Shih-Yu, Lai, Wei-An, Chuang, Cheng-Hao, Liu, Yu-Wei, Lee, Jui-Ying, Chou, Shah-Hwa, Hung, Jen-Yu, Chong, Inn-Wen, and Yang, Chih-Jen
- Subjects
ADENOCARCINOMA ,PEARSON correlation (Statistics) ,ACADEMIC medical centers ,RESEARCH funding ,COMPUTED tomography ,EARLY detection of cancer ,DISEASE management ,RETROSPECTIVE studies ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,MEDICAL records ,ACQUISITION of data ,LUNG cancer ,TUMOR classification ,SURVIVAL analysis (Biometry) - Abstract
Simple Summary: Since the U.S. National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated the efficacy of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for early lung cancer detection, LDCT has emerged as a critical tool for identifying lung cancer in high-risk populations. This retrospective study evaluates trends in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) staging at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital (KMUH) from 2011 to 2020, with a particular focus on the effects of LDCT screening, which was introduced in 2013. We examined correlations between the number of LDCT screenings and NSCLC stage distribution, emphasizing early-stage (stages 0 and I) and late-stage (stage IV) diagnoses. Additionally, we assessed histopathological differences between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma identified via LDCT and evaluated the impact of early diagnosis on five-year survival rates. Background: Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been widely adopted for lung cancer screening due to its proven ability to reduce lung cancer mortality, especially among high-risk populations. Methods: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the impact of LDCT screening on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) staging at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital (KMUH) from 2011 to 2020, following the introduction of LDCT in 2013. The study examines the correlation between LDCT screening volume and changes in the distribution of NSCLC stages, particularly early-stage (stages 0 and I) and late-stage (stage IV) diagnoses. Additionally, it explores the differences in histopathological subtypes, focusing on adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, and assesses the impact of early detection on five-year survival rates. Results: The results show a significant increase in early-stage NSCLC diagnoses, particularly in adenocarcinoma cases, where early-stage diagnoses rose from 10.4% in 2010 to 38.7% in 2019. However, the number of stage IV cases remained stable, indicating that LDCT may not substantially reduce late-stage diagnoses. Pearson's correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation between LDCT screening and early-stage NSCLC detection, particularly for adenocarcinoma (p < 0.001), though the early detection of squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma remained limited. Conclusions: The study concludes that LDCT screening plays a crucial role in improving early NSCLC detection and five-year survival rates. Future research should focus on optimizing screening strategies to capture more at-risk populations and enhance the detection of harder-to-diagnose subtypes like squamous cell carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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