Evaluating effectiveness of a low-dose chest CT scheduled protocol in the assessment of treatment response in patients with lung cancer or other thoracic malignancies

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a low-dose chest CT scheduled protocol in the assessment of treatment response in patients with lung cancer or other thoracic malignancies, with a special focus on reducing unnecessary CTs and radiation exposure

Methods/Materials: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with lung cancer or other thoracic malignancies who underwent chest CT scans using the low-dose scheduled protocol and a control group of patients who underwent chest CT scans using a traditional protocol. Low-dose scheduled protocol uses lower radiation doses, specific scanning parameters, and a more selective approach for repeat imaging. Diagnostic accuracy, image quality, radiation dose, treatment response, patient outcomes, and healthcare costs were compared between the two groups.

Results: The low-dose scheduled protocol was found to achieve diagnostic accuracy, image quality, and patient outcomes compared to the traditional protocol while significantly reducing radiation exposure and unnecessary CTs and follow-up imaging. Healthcare costs were also found to be lower with the low-dose scheduled protocol.

Conclusions: The low-dose scheduled protocol is an effective and safe alternative for chest CT imaging in treatment response assessment, with similar diagnostic accuracy, image quality, and patient outcomes while reducing radiation exposure and unnecessary CTs and follow-up imaging. It can be implemented as a standard of care in assessing treatment response in patients with lung cancer or other thoracic malignancies to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs while enhancing the quality and safety of radiology practice.