About 170,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each
year. Most are diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease
and nearly 90 percent die within two years. But catching lung
cancer early—when surgery is a treatment option—may improve
survival. A new study funded by the National Cancer Institute
shows that screening for lung cancer with chest X-rays detects
early lung cancer, but it also detects many insignificant
nodules. The multi-center, randomized Prostate, Lung,
Colorectal, and Ovarian cancer screening trial (PLCO) enrolled
close to 155,000 participants, ages 55 to 74, from 1993 to 2001
and continues to track them. PLCO is the first major lung
screening study to include women.