Scientists at the University of Nottingham and colleagues at Oxford have developed a new tool called CanPredict that can identify people at highest risk of developing lung cancer in the next 10 years. The research was published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in terms of incidence and is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. However, early detection has been shown to significantly improve survival. That’s why it’s important that people at high risk are screened regularly.
The scientists used data from more than 19 million patients in the UK to develop the risk test. Using these, they identified factors that could be used to statistically predict cancer risk: smoking, age, ethnicity, body mass index, health status.
Scientists tested the tool they developed on 2.54 million people. CanPredict was more accurate and more sensitive in estimating 5-, 6-, and 10-year risk compared to existing tests.