For individuals at a high-risk for lung cancer, lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) saves lives. 

Several randomized-controlled trials have found that low-dose CT scans detect most lung cancers at an early stage and significantly reduce lung cancer mortality.

Below are the summarized results of three prominent lung cancer screening trials.

Summary: The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using a low dose CT scan to detect lung cancer in patients considered high risk for lung cancer. Read the article here: Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Low-Dose Computed Tomographic Screening | NEJM

The study looked at 2 groups: A group of patients who received annual low dose CT scans and a group of patients who received annual chest x-rays.

THE NELSON TRIAL

Summary: The goal of this study was to determine if lung-cancer mortality for high-risk persons was significantly lower among those who underwent volume CT screening than among those who underwent no screening. Read the published article: Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Volume CT Screening in a Randomized Trial | NEJM

Participants were randomly assigned to undergo CT screening at T0 (baseline), year 1, year 3, and year 5.5 or no screening.

MULTICENTRIC ITALIAN LUNG DETECTION (MILD) TRIAL

Summary: The goal of the MILD Trial was to assess the value of prolonged intervention. Researchers evaluated the benefit of prolonged LDCT screening beyond 5 years, and its impact on overall and lung cancer specific mortality at 10 years. Read the article here: Prolonged lung cancer screening reduced 10-year mortality in the MILD trial: new confirmation of lung cancer screening efficacy

The MILD trial included more screening rounds, longer follow‐ups, and a more moderate risk pool (those with a smoking history of  ≥ 20 pack‐years rather than ≥ 30 pack‐years)