Importance of Lung Cancer Screening: Prof. Peter Kleine on Prevention
Early-Stage Bronchial Carcinomas Often Without Symptoms
Lung cancer remains one of the most common forms of malignant tumors in Germany. Lung neoplasms often develop without causing noticeable symptoms in its early stages. This makes risk-based screening particularly important for people with a long history of smoking or relevant occupational exposure.
In this episode of the PRIMO MEDICO Specialist Talk, Prof. Dr. Peter Kleine explains how modern lung cancer screening works and why low-dose computed tomography plays a central role in detecting suspicious changes at an early stage. The Clinic Director and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Sana Klinikum Offenbach discusses how artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary diagnostics can support radiologists in identifying even very small pulmonary nodules. Professor Kleine specialises in minimally invasive and complex thoracic surgical procedures, working closely with experts from pulmonology, oncology, radiology, pathology and radiation therapy at the hospital’s Lung Cancer Centre.
The conversation follows the patient journey from the first suspicious finding and tissue sampling to interdisciplinary treatment planning. Prof. Kleine presents modern surgical options, including video-assisted thoracic surgery, or VATS, robotic-assisted procedures and complex lung-preserving operations such as sleeve resections. He explores immunotherapy, targeted medication for specific genetic mutations and the importance of regular follow-up examinations. Finally, Prof. Kleine offers an insight into current research investigating whether tumour DNA in the blood could one day help detect cancer recurrence earlier and reduce the need for repeated CT scans.