Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Cancer Center found incidental lung nodule programs are effective in detecting lung cancer early.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, followed more than 19,000 participants undergoing low-dose computed tomography screenings or the lung nodule program. The data, collected between January 2015 and December 2021, showed that participants in the lung nodule program had significantly greater incidents of lung cancer diagnosis within two years.
"One thing our research shows is that screening alone can only go so far in finding more lung cancers early, so it is important to have a complementary lung nodule program," lead author Raymond Osarogiagbon, MD, chief scientist for Baptist Memorial Health Care, said in a March 9 news release.