PolmoniAMO_INGL

18 slow pace at which our country is taking action to improve the survival of lung cancer patients, but also to the need to raise awareness of the importance of screening among public decision-makers and within community medicine. In this regard there is little, if any, awareness of this method among GPs, partly due to the fact that it has not been entered in the tariff nomenclature, meaning that GPs cannot find it among the diagnos- tic options to be prescribed and therefore never use it as a secondary prevention tool. Last but by no means least, the general population and its higher-risk groups are com- pletely uninformed about the growing body of scientific studies supporting the life-saving potential of LDTC. It is therefore imperative that patient associations, in consultation with scientific societies, relay this information. It is also essential to involve other establish- ments that can act as a bridge to reach the population, such as pharmacies and commu- nity outpatient clinics (e.g. general medicine and advice centres). The nationwide implementation of lung cancer screening would prevent ap- proximately 5,000 deaths per year, offering patients more treatment options by improving their prognosis and helping to reduce both direct and indirect costs It is no longer acceptable to deprive at-risk individuals and the SSN as a whole of this op- portunity, whose potential extends beyond cancer prevention, allowing for the early de- tection of other smoke-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease.