Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the world. This year, in the United States alone, an estimated 164,000 new cases of lung cancer will be identified, and the disease will cause 156,000 deaths. Despite major efforts to improve cancer treatment over the past 20 years, progress has been modest. Nearly 90% of cases of lung cancer is attributable to cigarette smoking. Avoiding uptake of the habit would be an effective means of primary lung cancer prevention. Although smoking cessation lowers risk, the large population of former smokers remains at risk for lung cancer. Therefore, the development of an effective secondary prevention tool for lung cancer screening, if proved to decrease mortality from the disease, would be of great public health importance.