A federal judge certified a class-action lawsuit that asks cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris to pay for chest scans to screen for early signs of lung cancer in Massachusetts smokers.
ACSH staffers question the utility of the CT scans, which cost $400-500. It s still far from clear whether early CT scans of asymptomatic smokers or former smokers save lives, says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. Many CT-detected abnormalities are not life-threatening, and needless procedures may actually do more harm than good. There are large ongoing studies investigating whether earlier detection will actually save lives. The judge should await those results before ruling.
ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan also reminds us that lung cancer is only one complication associated with smoking. Remember that heart disease is the number one cause of premature death in smokers.
