EU Policy on Lung Cancer CT Screening 2017

John K Field; Javier Zulueta; Giulia Veronesi; Matthijs Oudkerk; David R Baldwin; Jesper Holst Pedersen; Eugenio Paci; Denis Horgan; Harry J de Koning

doi:10.1159/000479810

EU Policy on Lung Cancer CT Screening 2017

Biomed Hub. 2017 Nov 21;2(Suppl 1):154-161. doi: 10.1159/000479810. eCollection 2017 Nov-Dec.

Authors

John K Field¹, Javier Zulueta², Giulia Veronesi³, Matthijs Oudkerk⁴, David R Baldwin⁵, Jesper Holst Pedersen⁶, Eugenio Paci⁷, Denis Horgan⁸, Harry J de Koning⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
² University Clinic of Navarra, University of Navarra School of Medicine, Pamplona, Spain.
³ Division of Thoracic Surgery, Humanitas Clinic and Research Centre, Milan, Italy.
⁴ Center for Medical Imaging EB 45, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ Respiratory Medicine Unit, David Evans Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Campus, Nottingham, UK.
⁶ Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery RT, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ ISPO Cancer Research and Prevention Institute Tuscany Region, Florence, Italy.
⁸ European Alliance for Personalised Medicine, Brussels, Belgium.
⁹ Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Background: Lung cancer kills more Europeans than any other cancer. In 2013, 269,000 citizens of the EU-28 died from this disease. Lung cancer CT screening has the potential to detect lung cancer at an early stage and improve mortality. All of the randomised controlled trials and cohort low-dose CT (LDCT) screening trials across the world have identified very early stage disease (∼70%); the majority of these LDCT trial patients were suitable for surgical interventions and had a good clinical outcome. The 10-year survival in CT screen-detected cancer was shown to be even higher than the 5-year survival for early stage disease in clinical practice at 88%.

Methods: Setting up of an EU Commission expert group can be done under Article 168(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to develop policy and recommendation for Lung cancer CT screening. The Expert Group would undertake: (a) assist the Commission in the drawing up policy documents, including guidelines and recommendations; (b) advise the Commission in the implementation of Union actions on screening and suggest improvements to the measures taken; (c) advise the Commission in the monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of the results of measures taken at Union and national level.

Results: This EU Expert Group on lung cancer screening should be set up by the EU Commission to support the implementation and suggest recommendations for the lung cancer screening policy by 2019/2020.

Conclusion: Reduce lung cancer in Europe by undertaking a well-organised lung cancer CT screening programme.

Keywords: CANCON; CT screening; Cost effectiveness; Early detection; European policy; High-risk individuals; Lung cancer; Pulmonary nodule management; Quality assurance.

Publication types

Review