Patients with primary lung cancer detected using low-dose computed tomography screening are at reduced risk of developing brain metastases after diagnosis, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. JTO is an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. The full study is available here: Impact of Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening for Primary Lung Cancer on Subsequent Risk of Brain Metastasis - Journal of Thoracic Oncology (jto.org)
The researchers, led by Summer Han, PhD, from Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., used the National Lung Screening Trial data to identify 1502 participants who were diagnosed with lung cancer between 2002 to 2009 and have follow-up data for brain metastases.
Of 1502 participants, 41.4% had lung cancer detected through LDCT screening versus 58.6% detected through other methods, for example, chest radiograph or incidental detection. Patients whose lung cancer was detected with LDCT screening had a significantly lower three-year incidence of brain metastases (6.5%) versus those without (11.9%), with a cause-specific hazard ratio (HR) of 0.53 (p = 0.001), adjusting for age at lung cancer diagnosis, stage, histology, and smoking status. This significant reduction in brain metastases risk among patients with lung cancer detected through LDCT screening persisted in subgroups of participants with early-stage primary lung cancer (HR = 0.47, p = 0.002) and those who underwent surgery (HR = 0.37, p = 0.001).
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Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Study Paper:
