You would think lung cancer would show symptoms early on. After all, even catching a cold or inhaling a bit of dust causes itching, coughing and a buildup of mucous right away.
But the early stages of lung cancer often do not cause any symptoms. By the time most patients are diagnosed with the disease, it’s already in its late stages.
As a result, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in America, with a five-year survival rate of only 16%.
Finding Lung Cancer Early
That survival rate changes dramatically the earlier cancer is detected—from a 92% 5-year survival rate in the earliest detected cancers to essentially zero in the most advanced cases—so early screening is essential.
Cancer specialists and radiologists now have a tool to detect lung cancer earlier, when treatments are more available—and more effective.
Up to now, X-rays were used to detect lung masses the size of a dime or larger. Now patients can benefit from low-dose CT lung screening, non-invasive scans that capture up-close images of the entire lung area down to the millimeter.
This allows radiologists to view every aspect of the lung surface and detect lung nodules as small as a grain of rice.
Even better, low-dose CT scans are quick and painless, using no dyes or injections and requiring nothing from the patient but a few minutes of stillness as the table slowly moves through the CT machine.
Who Should Get a Low-Dose CT Scan?
The vast majority of lung cancers affect people over age 50 and people who have used tobacco habitually, so Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies have established guidelines for who is eligible for a low-dose CT scan.
If you have Medicare, you may be eligible if you:
- Are age 50-77
- Have a smoking history of 20 pack years or more
- Smoke currently or have quit in the past 15 years
- Do not currently have symptoms of lung cancer
Private insurance often covers low-dose CT screenings up to age 80. Your primary care physician can help you determine your eligibility for the scan.
<p>A pack year is an average of a pack of cigarettes a day for a year. If you smoke two packs of cigarettes each day, a calendar year would equal two pack years.
Symptoms of Late-Stage Lung Cancer
Without low-dose CT screening, lung cancers are usually found in their later stages, when patients begin to show symptoms:
- Recurrent respiratory infections
- Persistent or worsening cough
- Blood with coughing or spitting
- New or increasing shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
- New hoarseness
- New aches or pain in your shoulder, back or chest
- Weakness and fatigue
Early detection may prevent not only these symptoms, but the likelihood of early death that accompanies them.
Where To Get Screened
If you believe you may be eligible for low-dose CT lung screening, reach out to your primary care physician to learn more. They may also recommend additional screenings, such as a colonoscopy or bone density test, depending on your age and other factors.
Your clinician will help determine your eligibility and refer you to Carilion Clinic’s lung cancer screening coordinator to schedule your scan. Carilion’s screening program includes the following services in conjunction with your low-dose CT scan:
- A nurse navigator who will guide you through the process, including referrals for follow-up care if needed
- Prompt communication about the results of your screening, including putting them into your MyChart patient portal so you can review them at your convenience
- Five locations throughout western Virginia to have your screening scheduled quickly
- Tobacco cessation programs (see below)
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Still Smoking?
You don’t have to quit smoking to be eligible for a low-dose CT lung screening, but you do have to quit smoking to be as healthy as you can be.
The good news is that you don’t have to quit alone.
Talk to your doctor or try one of these helpful resources:
- Carilion Clinic’s free tobacco cessation program (pdf) led by expert pharmacists
- Quit Now Virginia (toll-free 1-800-Quit-Now)
- Smokefree.gov
- BecomeAnEx.org
