Lung cancer has been globally known as the leading cause of death among people. GLOBOCAN 2020 reports that it’s the second most common form of global cancer and remains one of the leading causes of death today. Not just the older population, even young adults are being affected with more exposure to smoking, pollution etc. It is also a major healthcare problem in India as it poses a huge burden economically to the household, society and the country.
It is important to screen for diseases without symptoms or a history of it because some cannot be diagnosed until they start showing signs. This process is known as screening which means taking an active approach by checking people who may have risk factors. The most reliable one and the only recommended screening test for lung cancer is Low Dose Computer Tomography called LDCTs (lOW-density CT scan).
In a developing country like India, due to finances involved and accessibility limited to certain cities, it is difficult to screen the population who are at risk from the disease. The Covid treatment protocol has had the unintended consequence of detecting lung cancer in many people who were unaware of their condition, with the effect that treatment was started early, which improved odds of recovery. Covid-19 particularly affects lungs, and thus requires active surveillance of lungs via CT scan for proper management. These low dose scans have helped diagnose cancers that might not have been detected through other scans or tests. Early detection ensures better management and a complete cure for people suffering from incurable lung cancer. CT scans can easily detect early lung lesions (stage IA/IB). Those patients who were evaluated for Covid-19 infection got diagnosed with early lung lesions and were sent to early intervention, surgical treatment (Segmentectomy/Lobectomy with systemic lymphadenectomy) thereby getting the curative treatment and better prognosis. During this Covid wave, the government played an important role by capping the charges for the CT scan, as a result, many could afford and undergo CT scans. Thereby, more people with lung cancer got diagnosed early on. It is now possible for doctors and patients alike to get an accurate diagnosis earlier on lung cancer than ever before. The government and the private sector should work together to create screening programmes that are provided at an affordable price that suits the Indian population. Screening should be recommended to only adults who have no symptoms but are at high risk of the disease. In India, there’s currently no screening protocol as such to detect lung cancer, which has led to an increase in cases.
(The author is a surgical oncologist in GI and thoracic cancers.)