A study published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine (supposedly the most prestigious medical journal in America) emphatically reported that smokers undergoing lung scans would have a higher risk of detection of early cancers. The study, performed at Weill Cornell Medical College, indicated that if CT scans were used to evaluate smoker's lungs rather than plain X-rays, a significantly higher rate of early diagnoses could occur since the CT scans could detect much smaller tumors which could be removed through surgery. Finding a cancer early by CT scans could reassure smokers to continue their habit since early diagnosis could potentially cure their condition. The cancer society does not currently recommend CT scans, and most insurers don't pay for them.
To the shock of many people, it was discovered in March of 2008 that this lung cancer study was partly funded by a tobacco company, raising serious suspicions about its accuracy. Furthermore, the lead researcher has a financial interest in lung cancer CT scan patent technology. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1725719,00.html
As a reader of my newsletter I suspect that you pay attention to news about health issues in the media. The reason I mention this topic is for you to be aware that there is a complex underworld of motivations that are not apparent when you read or see on TV the final headlines of study results. Science is, unfortunately, not pure. Personal motivations and big money influence outcomes or influence interpretations of the statistics not only on medical topics, but on nutritional supplements.
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