How lung cancer screening will make a difference

Discover how early detection and intelligent solutions can fundamentally improve lung cancer care.

Challenges in lung cancer

Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers and one of the worst five year survival rates of all cancers at 17% for men and 22% for women.[1] It is the deadliest cancer for men worldwide, the second deadliest for women. [2] What makes lung cancer so deadly is that the symptoms are non-specific, and patients often only come to the clinic when tumors have exceeded a critical size or when cancer cells have attacked the lymph nodes or have metastasized.

Lung cancer five year survival rate

Early detection in lung cancer

Mobile lung cancer checks in car parks

Interview: Lung cancer does not have to be a death sentence

European lung cancer initiative

The only chance of a cure is to diagnose lung cancer as early as possible. Early detection and the introduction of screening programs have the potential to fundamentally improve lung cancer healthcare. Although treatment for advanced tumor stages, such as immunotherapy, works well, it is also very expensive and a significant burden for the healthcare system. The cost per life saved by a screening program is therefore much lower.

The UK is showing just how simple cancer screening can be

UK

Lung health checks in car parks?

An idea that reduces costs and saves lives: As part of its long-term plan, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has decided to proactively invite risk groups to free cancer screenings.

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The life-saving potential of lung cancer screening

Lung Cancer Screening Stage Shift

Targeted screening of high-risk groups with low-dose computed tomography (CT) is a way to significantly decrease lung cancer mortality.

Prevention is key

Expert interview

Lung cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence

Recent developments in lung cancer screening have brought the topic of prevention into new focus. "The good news is – and we have the numbers to back this up – lung cancer does not have to be a death sentence. The earlier the disease can be diagnosed, the better is the prognosis for the patient," says Sebastian Schmidt, MD, Head of Strategy, Innovation and Medical Affairs, Siemens Healthineers.

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Patient organizations back screening

We ask ourselves what to say to patients who stopped smoking 20 years ago and who develop lung cancer. Should we tell them: If you had continued smoking, you would have been screened?
Barbara Baysal from the German Self-Help Lung Cancer Association (Bundesverband Selbsthilfe Lungenkrebs e.V.)

Targeted screening

Compared to breast cancer screening, lung cancer screening still shows a significant difference: in mammography screening, all women over 50 are invited to breast cancer screening. In lung screening, the screening is more targeted. In the US, people aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years are usually invited. "Pack years" are calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked. The individual guidelines may vary by country.

Focus on early detection and effective treatment

Oncology

European lung cancer initiative

A European Commission plan aims to improve early cancer detection and treatment. For lung cancer, early detection strategies are key. Professor Felix Herth is head of the Heidelberg University Hospital thorax clinic, a hub for cancer research and treatment. He explains why he is very hopeful uniform screening will be introduced soon, to offer more patients with early-stage cancer the prospect of a cure.

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Experts back screening

We now have eight large, randomized studies and masses of real-world data, mainly from the USA. We have a clear recommendation from the professional societies. We will not get any more evidence.
Prof. Dr. Jens Vogel-Claussen, Deputy Director, Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School and head of the HANSE study

Therapy

Treatment of lung cancer

2

Taiwan patient survived lung cancer

A hybrid approach to minimally invasive surgery

Redefining computed tomography

Depending on the stage and cancer type, the treatment could be surgery, chemo, radiation or immunotherapy. With the introduction of lung cancer screening, more cases are expected to be discovered in an earlier stage. Therefore, the current therapy mix of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy will probably change to less invasive methods where imaging might also play a bigger role. Key-hole surgery, stereotactic radiation therapy and local ablation techniques and combinations may become more important.

A profound understanding of the facetted characteristics and behavior of a tumor demands deep and integrated knowledge among clinical experts collaborating in interdisciplinary teams.
While it is already a challenge to optimize the treatment mix and sequence for each patient, by strategically combining advanced imaging, IT and laboratory applications, lung cancer management can be improved.

Finding cancer in an early stage saves lives

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Taiwan. Young non-smoking women are - surprisingly - a group in Asia that is strongly affected by lung cancer. Ming Zhang is one of them. She has benefited not only from an early diagnosis of lung nodules, but also from a minimally invasive procedure that can locate and remove tumors in a single step.

Taiwan patient story

Surviving lung cancer

Air pollution, traditional cooking over an open fire, or genetic mutations–there are many contributory factors that may cause lung cancer, particularly in young non-smoking women in Asia. Ms. Ming Zhang is one of those affected.

Watch her video

Hybrid approach in treatment of lung cancer

Chi Mei Medical Center, located in the city of Tainan, Taiwan, is able to combine intraoperative large-volume 3D imaging and guidance followed by minimally invasive resection, biopsy, or ablation. Installed in a hybrid OR, ARTIS pheno offers a one-stop workflow for the resection of small pulmonary nodules. Yao Fong, Head of Thoracic Surgery, says that the high-end robotic imaging system has allowed him and his team to improve lung cancer therapies and develop new treatment approaches.

Customer perspective

A Hybrid Approach – Minimally Invasive, Image-guided Surgery in Asia

With the rich past of a former capital of commerce and power, the Taiwanese city of Tainan has many claims to fame. Its latest is the trailblazing work in minimally invasive, image-guided surgery.

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Lung imaging with photon-counting CT

With photon-counting CT, Siemens Healthineers developed a radically new technology for clinical routines: computed tomography can be used to detect tissue changes in the lungs.

lung photon-counting image

Innovation culture

Redefining computed tomography

With photon-counting computed tomography (CT)*, Siemens Healthineers developed a radically new technology for clinical routine. At its core is a new kind of X-ray detector that is technologically different from a standard energy integrating detector.

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Outcome management platform for patients and caretakers

Noona® is a patient outcome management solution designed to engage patients in their care with real-time symptom reporting and monitoring, streamlined clinical workflows to promote evidence-based care and access to rich data insights for better management and ongoing assessment over the course of care.

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Artificial intelligence can support radiologists today: A second pair of eyes

AI plays a critical role as a second opinion in diagnostic assessment, especially since the number of examinations continues to increase. AI can help in obtaining more precise and faster results. The Siemens Healthineers AI software "AI-Rad Companion Chest CT" detects and highlights lung nodules.

AI-Rad Companion Chest CT — After segmentation of the lung nodules, the volume, maximum 2D diameter and maximum 3D diameter are automatically calculated.

Outlook on lung cancer care

The future of cancer care

Video: Vision for cancer care

Podcast: Digital twin in cancer care

Learn how the digital twin of the patient could lead to early detection of cancer in the future using AI technology and medical expertise. Health data integration could enable personalized care even before hospitalization to achieve the best possible patient-reported outcomes.

A possible future of intelligent cancer care is demonstrated to expand the frontier in oncology.

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Further information on lung cancer

Facts and Figures

Lung cancer screening

Marie-Pierre Revel and Sebastian Schmidt

Interview about the life-saving potential of lung cancer screening

Patient information page

Radiation Therapy information by Varian - A Siemens Healthineers Company

Webinar on lung cancer screening

Learn more about the life-saving potential of early lung cancer detection

Siemens Healthineers Shape 23 Keynote

Shaping healthcare in 2023 and beyond

Watch now to hear from some of the world’s most respected healthcare leaders about how to address the challenges posed by cancer, how high-quality care can be brought to more patients, and how to address the workforce crisis.

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[1] https://www.krebsdaten.de/Krebs/EN/Content/Cancer_sites/Lung_cancer/lung_cancer_node.html (Accessed Nov 2022)

[2] ESIC

The statements by Siemens Healthineers customers/institutions described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer’s or institutions' unique setting. Since there is no “typical” hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, level of IT adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers/institutions will achieve the same results.

Not all products/features are commercially available in all countries. Their future availability cannot be ensured.

Several devices of AI-Rad Companion are planned and under development, not commercially available in all countries, and their future availability cannot be ensured. Please contact your local Siemens Healthineers organization for further details.

The Digital Twin video describes future ideas and concepts. It is not intended to describe specific performance and/or safety characteristics of currently planned or future products. Future realization and availability cannot be guaranteed. Names of persons are fictious; any similarities are purely coincidental.

Digital Twin is currently under development; it is not for sale in the U.S.A. Its future availability cannot be guaranteed.