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. 

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 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.

Patient organizations back screening


Barbara Baysal from the German Self-Help Lung Cancer Association (Bundesverband Selbsthilfe Lungenkrebs e.V.)

Targeted screening

Experts back screening


 Prof. Dr. Jens Vogel-Claussen, head of the HANSE study

Therapy

Treatment of lung cancer

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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

Hybrid approach in treatment of lung cancer

Lung imaging with photon-counting CT

Outcome management platform for patients and caretakers

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.

Digital twins in cancer care
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Digital twins in cancer care
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Find out how digital twins could transform the entire cancer care path – from early detection to treatment and follow-up care. You’ll also learn how a digital twin of an organ is created. And you’ll hear what digital twin technology could mean for patients, clinicians, and the future of oncology.