Lung cancer screening helps detect this deadly form of cancer before symptoms appear, making treatment options more effective.
National Lung Cancer Screening Day is Saturday, Nov. 9, and was created to raise awareness of the importance of scheduling lung cancer screenings.
“According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the United States,” said Kristin Perucho, medical imaging nurse navigator at Springfield Memorial Hospital. “We perform low-dose lung cancer screenings at Memorial Health locations throughout the year to help combat those statistics. A lung cancer screening is essentially a low-dose CT of the chest for people who have a significant smoking history and are therefore at a higher risk for lung cancer.”
Eligibility for lung screenings includes:
- Ages 50 to 77 years (some non-Medicare insurances cover up to 80 years old)
- Significant cigarette smoking history of at least one pack daily for 20 years or more
- Current cigarette smoker or someone who quit smoking within the past 15 years
Patients should talk with their provider about whether a lung screening is appropriate for them. Lung cancer screenings are scheduled by a patient’s provider and are covered by most insurance companies.