Despite lung cancer's high mortality rate, many countries still lack organized lung cancer screening programs. This review aims to evaluate the impact of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening on lung cancer diagnosis, mortality, and overall clinical outcomes. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for umbrella reviews, a comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for reviews published between January 2013 and December 2023. Eligible meta-analyses included studies comparing LDCT screening with chest X-ray (CXR) or no screening, reporting outcomes such as sensitivity, specificity, and lung cancer mortality. The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed using AMSTAR-2. Out of 801 citations, 14 meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. LDCT demonstrated high sensitivity (0.97, 95% CI: 0.94-0.98) and specificity (0.87, 95% CI: 0.82-0.91). It significantly increased early-stage lung cancer detection (RR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.18-1.45) and reduced lung cancer mortality by 18% (RR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.75-0.90). However, the reduction in all-cause mortality (RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.75-1.06) was not statistically significant. Overdiagnosis and false positives remain essential challenges. This umbrella review confirms that LDCT screening effectively reduces lung cancer mortality, particularly in high-risk populations.
Mathew et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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