New research published in the journal Thorax has found that smokers who undergo a CT scan of their lungs are more likely to quit smoking.

The smoking cessation analysis of the UKLS trial, was led by researchers at Cardiff University working with the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London, involved 4,055 participants aged 50 to 75.

The group was split into those who underwent low–dose CT screening for early detection of lung cancer and a control group who did not undergo screening.

Of the smokers who took part in the screening, 10 per cent had successfully quit after two weeks, and 15 per cent had quit after two years – both higher than the 5% rates found in the control group.

The UK Lung Cancer Screening pilot trial is the first to assess the feasibility, cost–effectiveness and behavioural impact of lung cancer screening, using a single low–dose CT screen on a high–risk population in the UK.

Professor John Field, University of Liverpool’s Clinical Professor of Molecular Oncology, Chief Investigator of the UK Lung Cancer Screening Trial and Principal Investigator of the Liverpool Lung Project, said: “Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. “The findings of this study dispute the belief that a negative screening result offers a “licence to smoke”. Engaging with lung screening can give smokers an opportunity to access smoking cessation support – at a time when they are likely to be more receptive to offers of help.”

The full study is titled, “Impact of low–dose CT screening on smoking cessation among high–risk participants in the UK Lung Cancer Screening Trial.”