(CHICAGO) – Rush University Medical Center is part of an international effort to evaluate the effectiveness of a screening test that may provide early detection of lung cancer. Known as the International Early Lung Cancer Action Project (I-ELCAP), the collaboration brings together 48 major academic medical centers in nine countries. 

Physicians at Rush will study the use of spiral computerized tomography (CT) scanning to detect tiny nodules in the lungs that could be cancer in its earliest stages.  CT scans can detect tumors that are smaller than a pea and previous research has shown CT scans can detect lung cancer growths that are often not visible on a chest x-ray.  Unfortunately, by the time tumors are large enough to be viewed on a chest x-ray, the cancer is often too advanced to be cured.

"The CT lung screening means to lung cancer what mammogram screening means to breast cancer,” said Dr. Mark Yoder, the lead investigator of the study and assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care at Rush.  “The goal of this study is to see if we can detect and diagnose lung cancers in the very earliest stage.  Stage one is the only stage at which cure by surgery is highly likely.”

Physicians across the country have been debating the effectiveness of using CT scans for early detection of lung cancer, but recent research studies have provided promising evidence that CT screening for lung cancer could offer new hope for millions of people at risk for this disease.  Two recent modeling studies have shown that low-dose CT screening of a high-risk population may result in a reduction of lung cancer deaths comparable to what mammography screening has done to reduce deaths from breast cancer.  The technology is not an approved modality for lung cancer screening, but has proven to be a potent visualization tool.

“Lung cancer is a very common and deadly disease and the way it is treated now is very disappointing. This study evaluates how safely we can deliver lung cancer screening care,” said Yoder.  “We want to optimally manage early lung cancer.”

According to Yoder, Rush researchers are also looking at the relationship of developing lung cancer in individuals with COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease), a disorder that usually indicates a person is particularly sensitive to the damaging effects of cigarette smoke. 

“This technology may help cut down on the number of lung cancer deaths by allowing physicians to catch the disease early and surgically remove the lesions before they grow and spread through the body,” said Dr. Philip Bonomi, director of the division of hematology and oncology at Rush University Medical Center.  “This test could possibly be an important tool in fighting lung cancer, which has a dismal five year survival rate of only 15 percent.”

If the study radiologist at Rush, Dr. Palmi Shah, detects an abnormal looking nodule, the multi-disciplinary lung cancer screening team will determine the appropriate next step.  Most often, that means a repeat CT scan in 3-12 months.  Very rarely, a sample of the nodule will be obtained by specially trained radiologists or thoracic surgeons on the team. 

One of the ongoing goals of the study is to continue to refine the screening process in order to minimize the number of unnecessary biopsies that are performed.  Patients identified as having an abnormal CT will receive follow-up care with a study physician at Rush, and those with normal scans will be invited to continue screening on an annual basis. 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.  An estimated 215,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2008.  Unlike breast, prostate and other cancers, there are no tools to diagnose lung cancer early. 

Rush is seeking participants who are current or former smokers and who are 50 years of age or older.  For more information about the study, please contact Josephine Volgi, study coordinator, at 312-563-2741.

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About Rush University Medical Center

Rush University Medical Center is an academic medical center that encompasses the more than 600 staffed-bed hospital (including Rush Children’s Hospital), the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University.  Rush University, with more than 1,270 students, is home to one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, and one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing colleges. Rush University also offers graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences.  Rush is noted for bringing together clinical care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging.