Progress of Lung Cancer Screening with Low Dose Helical Computed Tomography

Lung cancer which represents characteristics of a heavy disease burden, a large proportion of advanced lung cancer and a low five-year survival rate is a threat to human health. It is essential to implement population-based lung cancer screening to improve early detection and early treatment. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that screening with low dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) may decrease lung cancer mortality, which brings hope for the early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. In recent years, great progresses have been made on research of lung cancer screening with LDCT. However, whether LDCT could be applied to large population-based lung cancer screening projects is still under debate. In this paper, we review the recent progresses on history of lung cancer screening with LDCT, selection of high-risk individuals, management of pulmonary nodules, performance of screening, acceptance of LDCT and cost-effectiveness.