"Lung Cancer Awareness Month" in November: The No. 1 killer... Early Detection Saves Lives

- Early diagnosis is key to survival...AI SWs are increasingly used to analyze diseases - AI is recommended for essential use... Increased awareness of the importance of AI across healthcare - Expansion of lung cancer screenings in Germany, the UK, and others... The focus is on AVIEW...

By Jinkook Kim

November is internationally recognized as "Lung Cancer Awareness Month". Held every November since 1995, the campaign raises awareness of lung cancer, the need for screening, the seriousness of the disease, and preventive measures around the world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cancer-related deaths in 2020 reached approximately 10 million, with 1 in 6 deaths being due to cancer. Among these, lung cancer accounted for around 1.8 million deaths, making it the leading cause. In South Korea, it also has the highest mortality rate. According to the "2022 Statistics on Causes of Death" published by the National Statistical Office, lung cancer ranked first in cancer mortality rates for both men and women. For men, the leading causes were lung cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer, while for women, the order was lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

The problem is that lung cancer often has few noticeable symptoms in its early stages, so many people are not diagnosed until the disease has progressed. In response, the National Cancer Centre ran a two-year Lung Cancer Screening Pilot Program in 2017, targeting 2 million people at high risk of lung cancer. This initiative resulted in a threefold increase in lung cancer screening rates compared to before the pilot program. Based on these results, lung cancer screening was officially included in the national cancer screening program in 2019.

The National Lung Cancer Screening Programme uses Coreline Soft's AVIEW LCS Plus interpretation product for early detection and accurate analysis of lung nodules. This product identifies and quantitatively analyses all potential diseases detected in chest CT scans used for lung cancer screening. It has been used for eight consecutive years since 2017 as a support tool for the national lung cancer screening interpretation and quality management solutions and is used in about 90 hospitals and institutions nationwide, including the National Cancer Center and Seoul National University Hospital.

Recently, lung cancer screening has been rolled out globally, particularly in Europe. In particular, in July, the German government announced a regulation to promote the essential use of AI for medical image interpretation in its national lung cancer screening program. Before this national initiative, the HANSE study validated the reliability and stability of AI image interpretation technology. Over nearly three years, more than 5,000 chest LDCT scans were interpreted, leading to significant advances in lung cancer screening and prevention. AVIEW LCS Plus played a key role in this research, being supplied to pilot programs in Italy and five EU countries (iDNA).

With pilot and full-scale lung cancer screening programs underway in Germany, the UK, France, Australia, and other countries, the case of South Korea, which has improved interpretation accuracy and workflow efficiency in its national lung cancer screening and established a sophisticated workflow for screening evaluation using a single cloud-based software, is gaining attention. Coreline Soft also received positive feedback from German and European medical professionals during a webinar on the role of AI software in lung cancer screening, which was held on the 24th.

Meanwhile, lung cancer has a five-year survival rate of 80% if diagnosed early and treated surgically, highlighting the need for increased awareness and public interest in lung cancer.

 About the Author   

Dr. Jin Kook Kim is the founder and CEO of CorelineSoft and an expert in the field of electronics and imaging systems. Founded in 2012, CorelineSoft is leading the development of AI-based medical imaging solutions and has developed various technologies required for the development of 3D medical imaging SW, providing world-class technology, especially in the field of lung imaging. Its flagship product, AVIEW LCS (AVIEW Lung Cancer Screening), uses AI algorithms to detect potential early-stage lung nodules in low-dose chest CT scans, making significant progress in the field of medical diagnostics. Dr. Kim received his B.S. in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Hanyang University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from KAIST for research in electronics, medical imaging, and 3D visualization.