Abstract
BackgroundLung cancer is the most common fatal malignacy and also the primary cause of cancer mortality. Participation in lung screening is an important step in diagnosing patient in early stage and it can promise better outcomes. The aim of this preliminary study was to determinate the differences in the participation rate of smokers and non-smokers in lung cancer screening and to determine the communication strategies to increase the participation rate.MethodsIn the given period of time (from May to August 2012) out of 1426 people who participated in the lung screening program 1,060 adult volunteers (331 males and 729 females, average age 54.0±9.3 years), completed fully and anonymously author’s questionnaire that contained 28 questions. 25.7% of the respondents were smokers (n=272), 64.6% have never smoked, while 9.7% were former smokers.ResultsMostly former smokers considered lung screening as an effective method for early detection of pulmonary diseases (86.4%). The most important source (41.0%) of information was the general practitioner. The participation rate of non-smokers is higher in lung screening than the ratio of non-smokers in the population. The unclear data suggest that smokers need distinct, concise messages to know why they should regularly undergo lung screening and doctors have a major role in this.ConclusionsWe found that smokers significantly more frequently took part in lung screening annually. It is positive that the participation rate of former smokers is higher than non-smokers, it is just a bit lower than the participation rate of smokers—both in annual and biannual participation. The participation rate of non-smokers is higher in lung screening than the rate of non-smokers in the population.
Highlights
Lung cancer is the most common fatal malignacy and the primary cause of cancer mortality
In Central and Eastern European countries researchers calculated the cumulative risk of lung cancer in former smokers. According to their results quitting smoking before the age 50 can decrease the risk of lung cancer with 67-83%. These results show that quitting smoking has a very important role in the reduction of lung cancer caused mortality risk [14] and prevention programs have a major role in this issue
The participation rate of non-smokers is higher in lung screening than the rate of non-smokers in the population
Summary
Lung cancer is the most common fatal malignacy and the primary cause of cancer mortality. Participation in lung screening is an important step in diagnosing patient in early stage and it can promise better outcomes. The aim of this preliminary study was to determinate the differences in the participation rate of smokers and non-smokers in lung cancer screening and to determine the communication strategies to increase the participation rate. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide, its leading position strengthened according to trends [2,3,4,5]. It is a major health science and communication task to convince the target groups and as a result to reach a higher participation rate in the screening programs
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