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Review
. 2020 Dec;41(4):723-737.
doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2020.08.016.

Screening for Occupational Lung Cancer: An Unprecedented Opportunity

Steven B Markowitz  1 , Brittany Dickens  2
Affiliations
Review

Screening for Occupational Lung Cancer: An Unprecedented Opportunity

Steven B Markowitz et al. Clin Chest Med. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Selected occupational populations are at the highest risk of lung cancer, because they smoke at increased rates and are concurrently exposed to workplace lung carcinogens. Low-dose computed tomography (CT)-based lung cancer screening has an enormous potential to reduce lung cancer mortality in these populations, as shown both in the lung cancer screening studies in the general population and in studies of workers at high risk of lung cancer. Pulmonologists can play a key role in identifying workers at high risk of lung cancer and ensuring that they are offered annual low-dose CT scans for early lung cancer detection.

Keywords: Carcinogens; Lung cancer; Occupation; Screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Dr S. Markowitz has served as an expert witness in asbestos tort litigation. He has funding to conduct lung cancer screening from the US Department of Energy and the Sheet Metal Workers Occupational Health Institute Trust. Ms B. Dickens has nothing to declare.

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