Ultra-low dose CT appears to effectively describe asbestos-related pleural and parenchymal changes and diseases, Australian researchers have concluded.
However the findings do not yet support the screening of all people who have been exposed to asbestos, said the authors led by Fraser Brims from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in WA in their paper published in Respirology.
“Annual screening with low radiation dose computed tomography (LDCT) of high-risk subjects can produce a lung cancer stage downshift with a significant mortality reduction and acceptable cost effectiveness,” the study authors wrote. This practice was now recommended by several organisations and was approved for funding in the USA, they noted.
The current study involved 906 asbestos-exposed individuals taking part in the Western Australian Asbestos Review Programme.
Ultra-LDCT identified indeterminate lung nodules – defined as >50mm3 – in 8.5% of the cohort, a finding which the study authors noted was lower than many other CT studies. Of these, eight cases had confirmed lung cancer (0.88%).
Clinically important incidental findings were observed in 9.4% of the cohort, predominantly related to lower respiratory tract inflammation.