Adding asbestos to the lung-cancer screening tool also should help identify mesothelioma in its earliest stages

In a bid to reduce the rate of lung cancer, a University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs research team has developed a novel, personalized lung cancer screening tool that accounts for past asbestos exposure.
Previous occurences showed that asbestos exposure is the best known primary cause of mesothelioma, but it also significantly increases the chance of developing lung cancer.

Identifing mesothelioma in its earliest stages, is the best way to treat it because it is most treatable in that stage. And, adding asbestos to the lung-cancer screening tool also should help identify mesothelioma in its earliest stages.

Mesothelioma is not usually diagnosed until it has progressed into stage 3 or stage 4, when treatment is more palliative than potentially curative.
The tool is designed to better identify people who may benefit — and who won’t benefit — from low dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer.
Early CT screening has really help to reduce lung cancer mortality.
Still, more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and it remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.