Royal Philips, Andover, Mass, has developed a new lung screening and management system that is intended to provide clinicians with a faster and more definitive way to detect and treat lung cancer. According to the company, its new lung screening system is comprised of products and services that enable healthcare providers to implement and manage a comprehensive CT lung screening program, tracking and guiding patients across the health continuum.

“Today’s clinicians need to integrate all relevant information quickly to reach a definitive diagnosis,” said Gene Saragnese, executive vice president and CEO of Imaging Systems at Philips. “Philips is in a unique position to be able to offer not only the advanced imaging technology to make early lung cancer detection possible, but the data insights, collaboration and education tools that are needed to deliver the quality and consistency required for health systems to succeed in new, evidence-based models of patient care.” 

In its announcement, Philips reported that the key to lung cancer survival is early detection, and studies have shown that screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) can reduce lung cancer deaths among a population of heavy smokers by 20%, when compared to using chest x-rays as the diagnostic tool. At the same time, this patient population is particularly challenging to track and manage due to the high volume of measurements, data, and changes in tumor and patient status over time.

“Lung cancer has a significant mortality rate in the US, and given the large number of heavy smokers in the aging Baby Boomer population, we can expect to see that number rise in the coming years,” said Andrea McKee, MD, chair of the Radiation Oncology Department at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass. “Philips’ innovation in lung screening aligns with the industry’s focus on preventative screening and taking a more holistic approach to patient care.”

The company says its new lung screening system can be used with most low-dose CT scanners and enables healthcare providers to easily assess individual patient status as well as overall program key performance indicators. The system’s integrated services reportedly include targeted marketing to reach high-risk patients and their primary care physicians; patient management so clinicians can follow a set of customized clinical protocols and establish interfaces with other hospital systems; specialized radiology workflow software tools to facilitate review and reporting of serial CT lung exams; and comprehensive online physician education resources to measure and report radiologist performance against a wide range of clinical cases.

The lung screening and management system was introduced at the 2014 RSNA meeting in Chicago and is slated to be available in North America in the first half of 2015. For more information on the new system, visit the Philips Healthcare website.