New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Could Catch Some Mesotheliomas Earlier
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New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Could Catch Some Mesotheliomas Earlier

ByAlex Strauss

New lung cancer screening guidelines for smokers might have an unexpected benefit for people who have also been exposed to asbestos: They may catch mesothelioma earlier.  Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a lung-related cancer caused by asbestos. It develops over many years. Many mesothelioma patients do not show any symptoms until the disease is very advanced. There is currently no routine screening for mesothelioma. The new lung cancer screening guidelines apply to people ages 50 to 80. They suggest that those who have smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years should have annual low-dose CT scans.  If screening shows a tumor, doctors can dig further to determine its type. Both lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma are more…

Low-Dose CT Screening May Delay Mesothelioma Deaths
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Low-Dose CT Screening May Delay Mesothelioma Deaths

ByAlex Strauss

The results of a long-term national study suggest that low-dose CT screening might prevent – or at least delay – deaths from pleural mesothelioma.  The National Lung Screening Trial included more than 53,000 lung cancer patients. Researchers released the first results in 2011 after more than six years of study. The recent follow-up results reflect more than 12 years of data on low-dose CT screening. They show that, in many cases, screening lung cancer patients for at least three years delayed their deaths for more than a decade.  Pleural Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Pleural mesothelioma is not the same thing as lung cancer. Mesothelioma starts on the lining around the lungs (pleura), rather than in the lung tissue itself.  But…