Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans using technology developed by National Taiwan University Hospital can increase the accuracy rate of identifying abnormalities by 25 percent when screening for lung cancer, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
The scans using artificial intelligence support systems developed by the hospital are available in seven hospitals nationwide, and people in high-risk groups are eligible for the screenings, such as those with a family history of lung cancer or those with an extended history of heavy smoking, the agency said.
In 2021, 16,880 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, with most of their diagnoses confirmed only at the terminal stage, when the five-year-survival rate is about 10 percent, it said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
LDCT scans have been shown to increase a doctor’s ability to diagnose lung cancers at an early stage and reduce the fatality rate for heavy smokers by 50 percent, it said.
Early detection and treatment of lung cancer could increase survival rates by 90 percent or more within five years of a diagnosis, the HPA said.
Pulmonary cancer in its early stages usually takes the form of nodules, the size of which is often a factor in determining whether they are benign or malignant, National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Medical Imaging Division of Cardiopulmonary Diagnoses director Chang Chung (張允中) said.
LDCT scans help doctors make such determinations, as some nodules are so small they are nearly indiscernible from a blood vessel, Chang said.
Attempting to make those distinctions with the naked eye often results in misjudgements, he added.
In an HPA-commissioned project, the hospital, National Taiwan University and a team of engineers developed an artificial intelligence support system for LDCT scans, which received a category two equipment designation from the Food and Drug Administration in February.
The system’s sensitivity enables it to detect nodules smaller than 4mm with a 90 percent accuracy rate and gauge whether the nodules were hollow, solid or partially solid, or ground-glass nodules, Chang said.
Doctors can save a lot of time by fine-tuning the scans based on their experience, he said.
People who undergo the scans should not be alarmed if many nodules are detected, as the number of pulmonary nodules is not a factor in diagnosing lung cancer, he said.
They should discuss the scan results with their doctor and make follow-up visits to monitor changes to the nodules, which would help their doctor identify risks early and start treatment, he added.
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