According to official figures, a total of 1.6 million lung cancer- related deaths of people aged 45 and over, occurred worldwide in 2018. In Greece, during the same year, 8,343 people died of lung cancer, which is by now a global disease and the leading cause of cancer deaths among both men and women. Globally, 203 people die of lung cancer every hour. In Greece, more people die of lung cancer than of breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, for which there are effective screening tests.
Lung cancer is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, because there are usually no signs in the early stages or there are symptoms that can be underestimated by a heavy smoker. Smoking is proven to be the leading cause of lung cancer, however, non-smokers can also develop the condition. Therefore, disease prevention and early diagnosis should be everyone’s priority, especially smokers’.
Addressing this special need, the Exemplary Clinical Trials Centre, the Pulmonology Clinic “Pnoi” with the Interventional Pulmonology Department and the Department of Medical Imaging of Metropolitan Hospital introduce “Lung Health”, the first organized Screening Program in Greece.
In recent years, the only recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography without contrast medium (low-dose CT scan, LDCT), i.e. tomography, using about 1/3 of the radiation of a standard chest CT scan. LDCT has proven to be extremely useful as a diagnostic tool, annually performed on high-risk individuals: adult men and women aged 50-80, heavy smokers who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years, with a 30 pack-year or more smoking history. The “pack-year” index is calculated by the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by the number of smoking years (e.g. one pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years or 2 packs for 15 years = 30 “pack -years”).
Individuals with a serious family history of lung cancer can also be screened, regardless of their smoking history. Low-dose CT scan is now approved for high-risk groups in the United States and already in some European countries. In Greece, the implementation of a screening program is still not discussed, although the country has the highest number of smokers under the age of 45, in the European Union.
Screening Program «Lung Health»
The Screening Program “Lung Health”, developed by the Metropolitan Hospital, is the first organized screening program for early diagnosis of lung cancer and includes an initial consultation and risk assessment by a specialist doctor-consultant, followed by a low-dose CT scan, if requirements are met and a second consultation session to announce the results.
A team of health specialists consisting of oncologists and pulmonologists will offer a consulting approach during weekly outpatient visits. Medical records will be kept and annual rescreening will be offered to participants with negative findings, according to international guidelines. Meanwhile, and if the examined person is still smoking, he / she will be referred to the Smoking Cessation Clinic. In case of CT pathological findings, recommendations will be given, based on interdisciplinary advice: repeat CT scan within a time period, according to pulmonary node surveillance international algorithms or further diagnostic approach by the Metropolitan Hospital specialized departments: Interventional Pulmonology, Interventional Radiology or Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery.
The Metropolitan Hospital has the specifications, leading scientific staff and state-of-the-art technological equipment to not only perform a standard chest CT scan, but also to use pioneering imaging techniques. The innovative integrated Screening Program “Lung Health”, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of patients with pathological findings, according to the internationally applied diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms, aim to offer a patient-centered, timely and cost-effective health care service.
Moreover, in the context of social contribution and through the strategic partnership of the HHG Group and the Metropolitan Hospital with Fairlife LCC, the first non-profit organization in Greece, exclusively dedicated to lung cancer and founded in memory of Simon Bell, the Screening Program “Lung Health” will be offered free of charge, through Fairlife, to individuals belonging to vulnerable social groups.
The Program is implemented with the kind support of companies Laskaridis Shipping, Tsakos Group ,Alassia NewShips Management,
Contact tel. number: 210 4809150 – 160
