Dr. Stevenson on the Importance of Early Screening in Lung Cancer

James Stevenson, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, discusses the importance of early screening in lung cancer. 

Chest CT screening for lung cancer is an easy strategy to detect potentially cancerous nodules, Stevenson says. Being able to detect potentially cancerous nodules is the goal of any type of cancer screening that is completed in the early-stage setting when patients may be asymptomatic, Stevenson explains.

Additional data are likely to emerge regarding larger screening programs, which will reveal the percentage of small cell lung cancer vs non–small cell lung cancer vs other cancer types that are detected through screening. Moreover, data may indicate whether screening can lead to a stage migration in lung cancer where a higher percentage of patients are being diagnosed at earlier stages, Stevenson concludes.