Lung cancer is a major public health problem in the United States. It is one of the most common malignancies, with an annual incidence of more than 228,000, and the leading cause of death from cancer, responsible for more than 159,000 deaths in 2013. Targeted screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) of high-risk individuals, defined as those who are aged 55 to 74 years, who have a history of >30 pack-years of cigarette smoking, who are current smokers, or who quit smoking within the past 15 years, has been shown to decrease lung cancer mortality by 20% and all-cause mortality by approximately 7% when compared with chest radiography as part of the National Lung Screening Trial. Partly on the basis of these findings, the US Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a Grade B recommendation for annual low-dose CT for individuals between the ages of 55 and 80 years who are at high risk for lung cancer.3 Furthermore, a recent systematic review concluded that there is "strong evidence" to demonstrate that low-dose CT screening can reduce both lung cancer-specific and all-cause mortality.
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