Kazakhstan has launched a lung cancer awareness week, during which more than 1,600 people will be able to undergo free low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans. This method can detect even small changes at early stages, and Kazakhstan has become one of the first countries in Central Asia to adopt it, according to infohub.kz.
Every year, about four thousand cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in the country, with nearly two thousand ending in death. Doctors attribute this statistic to late detection. Therefore, special attention is paid to early diagnosis, and low-dose CT is one of the key methods first introduced in Kazakhstan.
"Computed tomography provides a layered image of every millimeter of the chest. Millimeter slices allow us not to miss pulmonary nodules measuring 2-3 millimeters. This is very early detection, which helps reduce mortality from oncological diseases such as lung cancer," explains Zhandos Amankulov, Head of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology.
Experts note that the radiation exposure with the new method is significantly lower than with conventional CT and fluorography. The procedure takes only a few seconds and requires no special preparation: no fasting, no blood tests, and no need to stop taking regular medications.
"With low-dose CT, we plan to screen high-risk patients. This includes people over 50, smokers, those who recently quit or have smoked for a long time, as well as those who work in hazardous conditions, coming into contact with dust, chemicals, and carcinogens," notes oncologist Bauyrzhan Imanbekov.
Kazakhstanis can undergo free low-dose CT until August 15. In total, more than 1,600 people are planned to be screened. Addresses and phone numbers for scheduling lung examinations can be found on the website of the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology. It is worth recalling that Kazakhstan regularly provides three types of cancer screenings free of charge: breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer. In the first half of the year, over two million people were screened.