June 30th, 2011

USA Today reports:

Full results of a big study that showed some smokers’ lives could be saved by screening with lung scans now reveal more clearly what the risks are: There’s a good chance of a false alarm.

Of those who got the recommended annual scans for three years, 4 out of 10 had a suspicious finding on at least one scan and were advised to have a follow-up test or biopsy. And more than 95 percent of them turned out to have nothing wrong.

The results out Wednesday give the first detailed look at the benefits and risks of screening longtime current or former smokers with special X-rays called CT scans. The government stopped the study last fall after seeing the scans were saving lives.

Most insurers don’t cover the scans because no major groups currently recommend them.

“No one should rush off and get one of these scans for screening until we’ve thought more about it,” said Dr. Christine Berg of the National Cancer Institute, the study’s main sponsor.

For the rest of the story, read USA Today