This low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan of a smokers chest shows a lung nodule; a new study suggests that the results of such scans have an impact on whether people continue smoking. (Photo credit: Dr. Paul Kvale, U.S. National Lung Cancer Screening Trial)
Computerized tomography (CT) scans of smoker’s lungs could be a powerful tool to help them quit, according to a new study.
Epidemiology results from 14,621 smokers who received CT scans as part of the U.S. National Lung Screening trial and were followed up years later showed that the more serious the screening result, the greater the likelihood that smoking stopped. The results bolster those from a review published this week in the British Medical Journal, which describes methods to improve lung cancer screening.
Original research paper published in the the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on May 28, 2014.
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