Project Lead: Christian Ernst Heinrich Boehler
Authors: Christian Ernst Heinrich Boehler, Sarah Wolf
Publication: December 2020
Language: English (with German summary)
Lung cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in the European Union. Risk factors for lung cancer include smoking in particular, family history, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and occupational or environmental exposure to radon, asbestos or fine particles. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be used for lung cancer screening, which is increasingly offered in routine clinical practice. Current evidence shows that screening for lung cancer with LDCT in (former) heavy smokers probably reduces lung cancer mortality, but results in little or no difference in overall mortality, compared with no screening.