PolmoniAMO_INGL

Italian Manifesto PolmoniAMO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • In Italy, lung cancer accounts for the highest number of cancer deaths per year and has an economic cost of approximately €2.5 billion. Only 14% of patients are diagnosed with stage IA lung cancer (early cancer stage), with an associated five-year survival rate of 92%. • Lung cancer, like all tumours, is time-dependent. A late diagnosis reduces the effective- ness of treatments; on the other hand, an early diagnosis increases life expectancy. • A delay in the period between diagnosis and surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy not only has a negative impact on survival but also on the quality of life and productivity of patients and their caregivers. • Diagnosing lung cancer earlier through screening initiatives increases the num- ber of people who can return to work, thereby reducing the socio-economic burden of lost productivity. • Screening is therefore an excellent public health resource that must be used for lung cancer. • Thanks to screening, it is now possible to detect very small tumours which can be treated with minimally invasive, robotic and individualised surgery. • Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is currently the most suitable tool for the ear- ly detection of lung cancer: it is effective in detecting small lesions (in the millimetre range); it is quick and easy to perform (30 seconds); it is non-invasive , does not require the use of contrast medium and exposes the patient to a low dose of radiation (five times lower than a conventional CT scan). • The results of the NLST, NELSON and MILD studies support the use of LDCT and the associated benefits in terms of survival (with a reduction in mortality of up to 25%); moreover, LDTC has been shown to fully meet the screening criteria defined by the World Health Organization, i.e. reliability, safety, acceptability, sustainability and the potential to change the course of the disease. • The nationwide implementation of lung cancer screening would prevent approximately 5,000 deaths per year, offering patients more treatment options by improving their prognosis and helping to reduce both direct and indirect costs. 3