SynthesisThorax2003
Screening for lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials.
Synthesis in Thorax, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- Measuring quality of life in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a systematic review of the content and structural validity of commonly used instruments.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2020Pooled it
- Guideline
- Pooled it
- Lung cancer screening with computer aided detection chest radiography: design and results of a randomized, controlled trial.PloS one · 2013Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of chest radiography using artificial intelligence for lung cancer screening in South Korea.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A Novel Deep Learning-Based (3D U-Net Model) Automated Pulmonary Nodule Detection Tool for CT Imaging.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Role of chest radiographs in early lung cancer detection.Translational lung cancer research · 2020Article
- Evaluating the Use of Circulating MicroRNA Profiles for Lung Cancer Detection in Symptomatic Patients.JAMA oncology · 2020Article
- Feasibility of lung cancer screening in developing countries: challenges, opportunities and way forward.Translational lung cancer research · 2019Review
- Article
- [Lung Nodules Assessment--Analysis of Four Guidelines].Zhongguo fei ai za zhi = Chinese journal of lung cancer · 2017Review
- Reflection of illness and strategies for handling advanced lung cancer - a qualitative analysis in patients and their relatives.BMC health services research · 2017Article
- Lung cancer in Basrah, Iraq during 2005-2012. Incidence and time trend.Saudi medical journal · 2016Article
- Implementing low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer in Canada: implications of alternative at-risk populations, screening frequency, and duration.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2016Article
- Clinical characteristics and prognosis of incidentally detected lung cancers.International journal of surgical oncology · 2015Article
- Survival analysis of patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer using clinical and DNA repair pathway expression variables.Clinical lung cancer · 2013Article
- Statistical learning methods as a preprocessing step for survival analysis: evaluation of concept using lung cancer data.Biomedical engineering online · 2011Article
- Advances in proteomic strategies toward the early detection of lung cancer.Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society · 2011Review
- Lung cancer screening.Current oncology reports · 2007Review
- Spectra of antinuclear antibodies in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and of the head and neck.Cancer detection and prevention · 2005Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLung cancer is a substantial public health problem in western countries. Previous studies have examined different screening strategies for lung cancer but there have been no published systematic reviews.
methodsA systematic review of controlled trials was conducted to determine whether screening for lung cancer using regular sputum examinations or chest radiography or computed tomography (CT) reduces lung cancer mortality. The primary outcome was lung cancer mortality; secondary outcomes were lung cancer survival and all cause mortality.
resultsOne non-randomised controlled trial and six randomised controlled trials with a total of 245 610 subjects were included in the review. In all studies the control group received some type of screening. More frequent screening with chest radiography was associated with an 11% relative increase in mortality from lung cancer compared with less frequent screening (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.23). A non-statistically significant trend to reduced mortality from lung cancer was observed when screening with chest radiography and sputum cytological examination was compared with chest radiography alone (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.03). Several of the included studies had potential methodological weaknesses. Controlled studies of spiral CT scanning have not been reported.
conclusionsThe current evidence does not support screening for lung cancer with chest radiography or sputum cytological examination. Frequent chest radiography might be harmful. Further methodologically rigorous trials are required before any new screening methods are introduced into clinical practice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.