A U.S. study shows that early chest CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality by up to 20% in current and former smokers! A total of 53,000 smokers (one pack a day, 30 years of smoking) and former smokers (within 15 years of quitting) participated in a “National Lung Screening Trial” study from 2002 to 2004. The subjects were divided into two groups, one receiving annual CT scans and the other receiving plain x-rays. It was found that X-ray was difficult to detect early signs of lung cancer, while CT provided detailed, clear images of the lungs. Compared to subjects who underwent X-ray, annual CT exams reduced lung cancer mortality by 20%, although about one-fifth of those examined were false positives (CT considered lung cancer and turned out to be a benign tumor).