Lung cancer screening: current knowledge, opportunities, and challenges

Summary Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, mainly due to its frequent diagnosis at advanced stages. Low-dose computed tomography screening has thus emerged as an effective tool, enabling early detection and reducing lung cancer mortality. Despite this evidence, the implementation of low-dose computed tomography screening in population-based programs still faces several challenges. In addition, ongoing research on artificial intelligence-based tools and blood biomarkers represents an active field of investigation, with the potential to further improve lung cancer screening efficiency. This review article aims to summarize current knowledge supporting lung cancer screening, highlighting its benefits and opportunities (e.g., detection of other clinically significant conditions, integration with primary prevention interventions), as well as the critical issues that remain to be addressed.