Tobacco.org

Researchers determine predicting factors of positive lung cancer diagnoses in chest radiographs 

A study published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology determined several predictors of a positive lung cancer diagnosis after having an abnormal chest x-ray. Dr. Martin Carl Tammemagi of Brock University in Ontario and his team of US researchers examined the chest radiographs of 12,314 individuals obtained through the National Cancer Institute's Prostate Lung Colorectal Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). They found that older age, lower education levels and a longer smoking history were all associated with a "true positive" diagnosis for lung cancer in those individuals with an abnormal screening chest radiograph.

A "true positive" radiograph represents an accurate reading for lung cancer. Other factors that contributed to a "true positive" diagnosis include a family history of lung cancer and a suspicious mass in the upper/middle chest region.

Jump to full article »