There are risks associated with screening tests.
It is often a difficult decision to make about whether to take a screening test.Not all screening tests will be helpful, and most carry risks.You need to consult your doctor before taking any screening test.It is important to know the risks of a screening test and whether that screening test has been shown to reduce the risk of death from cancer.
Risks of lung cancer screening include the following:
Discovering lung cancer may not improve health or help prolong life.
If you already have lung cancer and it has metastasized to other parts of your body, screening may not improve your health or extend your life.
When a disease is detected by screening and treated, but that disease may never produce symptoms or be life-threatening, the condition is called overdiagnosis.It is uncertain whether treating these cancers will prolong life more than not treating them, and there may be serious side effects of cancer treatment.The harms associated with cancer treatment are more likely to occur in individuals who develop the disease from heavy or chronic smoking.
False-negative results may occur.
Screening test results may suggest normal even if lung cancer is already present.When screening results are false negatives (lung cancer is real but the results suggest no tumor), patients may delay seeking medical care even if they already have symptoms.
False-positive screening results may also occur.
A screening test may still indicate an abnormality even in the absence of lung cancer.A false-positive test result (a screening test that suggests lung cancer in the absence of lung cancer) can cause anxiety and often requires additional follow-up tests (such as a biopsy), which also carry risks.Lung cancer biopsies can lead to partial collapse of the lung. Sometimes surgery is needed to re-inflate the lung. Screening test results may look abnormal even if there is no cancer. Erroneous harms from diagnostic tests may occur more often in patients with medical problems caused by heavy or long-term smoking.
Chest x-rays and low-dose spiral CT scans expose the chest to radiation.
Radiation exposure from chest x-rays and low-dose spiral CT may increase the risk of cancer.Young people and people at low risk for lung cancer are more likely to have lung cancer from radiation exposure.
Consult your doctor about your risk of lung cancer and whether you need to take a screening test.
Consult your doctor or other health care provider about your risk of developing lung cancer, whether screening is appropriate, and the benefits and harms of a screening test.You should be involved in the decision about the screening test to determine if it is right for you.(For more information, see the PDQ summary on the Cancer Screening Review.)