European Union Position Statement on Lung Cancer Screening
Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2017
To more effectively screen those for lung cancer who are at risk and forgo screening those who may not reap any benefits from screening, the European Union (EU) has released a position statement describing the current status of lung cancer screening as well as outlining the essential elements needed to ensure the development of effective European screening programs. The position paper, authored by Matthijs Oudkerk, MD, of the Center for Medical Imaging, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and colleagues, was published in The Lancet Oncology.
The EU position statement includes nine recommendations to guide the implementation of lung cancer screening in Europe, with a focus on low-dose computed tomography (CT) methods as the most effective. With the support of multiple randomized trials, the statement establishes that “low-dose CT is the only evidence-based method for the early detection of lung cancer shown to provide a mortality reduction” and should be implemented throughout the EU starting within the next 18 months. The statement also details that “only individuals deemed to be at high enough risk are screened” and that those entering screening should be provided with adequate information about CT screening to make their own informed decisions about the procedure.
The full set of recommendations can be read in The Lancet Oncology.
