How Should the Mass Examination for Lung Cancer be Performed? : A Retrospective Study of 33 Lung Cancer Cases Detected by Mass X-ray Examinations

In proportion to the rapid increase of the lung cancer death rate in recent years, it has become more and important to utilize the Tuberculosis Mass Roentgenography efficiently in order to detect lung canaer in the early stages. The authors retrospectively investigated the clinical data and the courses from mass examination to the first visit to National Sanyoso Chest Hospital, of 33 lung cancer patients who had been detected by mass X-ray examination and admitted to this hospital from 1979 to 1981. The results obtained were as follows : 1) The intervals from mass examination to the first visit to the hospital were less than 29 days in 9 cases, 30 to 59 days in 15 cases, 60 to 99 days in 5 cases and more than 100 days in 4 cases. Only six cases (18.2%) were dignosed as lung cancer within a month. 2) The intervals of the cases detected through the X-ray screening without further examination were significantly shorter than those of the cases detected in the course of the primary mass miniature X-ray screening and the secondary direct X-ray examination.