The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) applauded the American Cancer Society (ACS) for its endorsement of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for individuals at high-risk for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
“Irrefutable evidence supports the value of advanced imaging in reducing mortality associated with lung cancer,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA. “The ACS’s recommendation of low-dose CT scans for high-risk individuals will stand as an important milestone in reducing access barriers to scans that save lives. In light of the continued support from the patient and medical community, MITA calls on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to re-evaluate their rating for low-dose CT scans for those at risk of lung cancer.”
ACS based its recommendations on the results of several studies that have proven that LDCT saves lives, including the National Lung Screening Trial which found LDCT could reduce lung cancer deaths by at least 20% in a high-risk population of current and former smokers ages 55 to 74. Similarly, a study conducted at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in May 2012 indicated that LDCT screening benefits individuals at increased risk for lung cancer, resulting in significantly fewer lung cancer deaths.
The organization joins the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American Association of Thoracic Surgeons and other groups that have publicly supported the use of LDCT in high-risk populations.
