Low-dose CT lung cancer screening may carry a high burden of false-positive results. Investigators at the National Institutes of Health say the modality has been marketed to the public without any clear evidence that it is beneficial.
Dr. Jennifer Crosswell and colleagues analyzed data from a pilot study performed before the ongoing National Lung Screening Trial was launched. The NLST enrolled 3190 participants, current and former smokers, who had baseline CT scans or chest x-rays followed by one repeat annual scan. The subjects were followed for one year after final screening.
Investigators found individuals had a 21% chance of at least one false-positive test after one screening study and a 33% chance after the second. Older subjects and smokers also had higher false-positive odds. Results were released at the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.
