The R.I.S.P. oncology screening project at the IRCCS "Pascale" in Naples: comparison between LDCT protocols using 64-slices and Dual-source 128-slices equipment

Abstract

The RISP (Italian Network for Lung Screening) project is a research program funded by the Ministry of Health. Several cancer centers in Italy, including the IRCCS Fondazione “G. Pascale” in Naples, have participated in the project, aiming to achieve early diagnosis of lung cancer. As part of the larger 4-iTLR (Four in the Lung Run) project, which involved a total of 25,000 patients, including 10,000 Italians, our IRCCS contributed 864 patients. The project recruits volunteers based on predefined inclusion criteria, who undergo low-dose multidetector computed tomography (LDCT) of the lung volume. The collaboration and interaction of professionals such as radiographers, radiologists, thoracic surgeons, and data managers place patients on a free, highly skilled path. Based on the radiological findings, patients with benign lung nodules were randomized into two groups: group A with follow-up low-dose CT scans one year after the initial examination and group B with follow-up low-dose CT scans two years after the initial examination. All individuals with a positive LDCT underwent further investigations for a potential lung cancer diagnosis. The RISP project will contribute to reducing mortality from lung cancer and potentially from other smoking-related diseases by developing an early diagnosis system that uses chest LDCT at variable intervals, based on each patient's individual risk.