Faculty Peer Reviewed Lung cancer is the most common cause of
cancer deaths globally  and responsible for an estimated 221,120
new cases and 156,940 deaths in 2011 in the United States.
Presently, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American College of Chest
Physicians, and most other evidence-based organizations do not
recommend screening for lung cancer with chest x-ray or low-dose
helical computed tomography (CT) due to inadequate evidence to
support mortality reduction. This recommendation, however, may
soon change. LOW-DOSE CT SCREENING REDUCES MORTALITY In October
2010, the NCI announced that the National Lung Screening Trial
(NLST) was concluded early because the study showed that low-
dose CT screening, when compared with screening by chest
radiography, resulted in a 20.0% relative reduction in lung
cancer-related mortality and an all-cause mortality reduction of
6.7%. The number needed to screen with low-dose CT to prevent
one lung cancer death wa