Study Links Increased Chest X-Ray Use to Earlier Lung Cancer Detection and Better Survival Rates
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A groundbreaking study has revealed a significant link between the frequency of chest x-ray referrals from GPs and earlier diagnosis and improved survival rates for lung cancer patients. The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, found that patients attending practices with the highest chest x-ray usage were more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage. The practices with the highest chest x-ray usage also saw patients less likely to be diagnosed at the later stages of cancer - stage three and four. These patients were also shown to have better survival at both one and five years after diagnosis, compared with those with the lowest chest x-ray usage.
Lead author of the study, Dr Stephen Bradley from the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health, said: “Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths both in the UK and globally. This is an important step forward in our understanding of how to improve lung cancer detection. "By encouraging greater use of chest x-rays, we can potentially diagnose lung cancer earlier, when treatment is more likely to be successful."
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