CT scans are more effective for older smokers to check for lung cancer The National Cancer Institute released a study on Nov. 4 that said that compared with X-ray fluoroscopy, CT scans can detect earlier and more accurately whether heavy smokers have lung cancer, thereby reducing the mortality rate of patients. Researchers followed more than 53,000 heavy smokers who had smoked or currently still smoke for three years. The smokers, recruited by 33 research institutions across the United States, were 55-74 years old, none had smoked for about 30 years, and all smoked at least one pack of cigarettes a day. The researchers randomly divided the study subjects into a control group and an experimental group, with the control group receiving annual x-rays and the experimental group receiving annual CT scans. As of Oct. 20 of this year, 354 people in the experimental group had died of lung cancer, while 442 people in the control group had died of lung cancer. The researchers noted that one of the main reasons for the difference in mortality between the two groups is that CT scans can detect whether smokers have lung cancer relatively earlier and more accurately, so patients can receive treatment earlier, which plays an important role in prolonging patients’ lives.