Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide, with a mortality that’s higher than colorectal, breast and prostate cancers combined. 13% of all new cancer cases diagnosed are lung cancer, and the number of lung cancer cases is only expected to grow.¹ Lung cancer screening has been shown to detect lung cancer at earlier stages when it is most curable. For that reason, lung cancer screening was recently approved for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the US. Hospitals there are now choosing the tools that can help them meet reimbursement requirements and track patients year after year while keeping their workflow streamlined.² In Europe, clinical trials about lung cancer screening are still ongoing. Philips has one of the most comprehensive solution in the lung cancer screening space: scanners, image analysis tools and patient management.
Meeting the challenges in a new screening program
Successful lung cancer screening requires a comprehensive solution to address the challenges inherent in large-scale programs. This goes beyond the need for good image quality and analysis required for any scan. For instance, you need patient management to keep track of the many screening patients, each perhaps with several scans to collate over the years. Intelligent software to help effectively detect, characterize and diagnose nodules. And, of course, workflow improvements to ensure that eligibility and reimbursement criteria can be met without undue burdens on clinical staff.
Managing pulmonary patients with just one reading
Philips has a wide range of CT and PET/CT systems, 27 in total, that comply with the CMS guidelines for the excellent image quality and low dose needed for lung cancer screening. In addition, the Philips IntelliSpace Portal software offers a comprehensive toolset to track pulmonary disease from detection to follow-up.
These advanced visualization and analysis tools help you achieve confident diagnoses quickly and efficiently, and include automated risk stratification based on appearance characteristics and demographics that calculate the probability of malignancy and help direct treatment. They also support collaboration and long-term programs: the system includes LungRADS standardized reporting and makes review and analysis possible across the enterprise.
Staying ahead of the curve
The developments in the US show the potential in lung cancer screening. Early detection using the CMS-approved method has been shown to not only improve prognosis and treatment, but decrease death rates up to 20%³. The US-based multisite trial to investigate the effectiveness of lung cancer screening was halted because the results were so compelling. Hospitals in Europe and the rest of the world can benefit from the knowledge of those who have gone before.
Hospitals that already have one of Philips’ CT and PET/CT systems are in an excellent position to start thinking about a future lung cancer screening program. A systematic and comprehensive approach can help you not just acquire and process lung scans, but also make it easier and more effective to follow up and track patients over the years.
¹ American Cancer Society key statistics for lung cancer, 2016 . 2. Henschke CI, Yankelevitz DF, Libby DM, Pasmantier MW, Smith JP, and Miettinen OS. Survival of patients with Stage I lung cancer detected on CT screening. N Engl J Med 2006;355:1763-71. 3. Decision Memo for Screening for Lung Cancer with Low Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) (CAG-00439N), https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=274.
² World Cancer Research Fund International Fact Sheet, 2015.
1. The National Lung Screening Trial research team. Reduced lung cancer mortality with low dose computed tomographic screening. N Engl J Med, 2011;365:395-409.
³ N Engl J Med, 2011; 365:395-409. National Lung Screening Trial research team. Reduced lung cancer mortality with low dose computed tomographic screening.
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Written by:
Luna Fahoum
