12 FAITH REGIONAL Health Services Lung cancer is the second most common cancer, aside from skin cancer, in both men and women in the U.S. It’s also the No. 1 cause of cancer death in this country. Fortunately, there is a screening test that has the potential to find lung cancer early, when it’s usually easier to treat. And the test is painless and noninvasive. A low-dose CT scan can help find abnormalities in the lungs that may be cancer. Studies have shown that using low-dose CT scans to screen people for lung cancer saves more lives than using chest x-rays. That’s because a CT scan produces detailed, cross-sectional images of the lung that can find small abnormalities better than a chest x-ray. Should you be screened for lung cancer? CT scans are so detailed that they can find a lot of abnormalities. These may need to be checked out further with additional testing. Low-dose CT scans also expose people to small amounts of radiation. It’s less than the dose of a regular CT scan, but higher than that of a chest x-ray. Your doctor can tell you whether the risks of annual CT screening outweigh the benefits for you. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends yearly lung cancer screening tests for people 50 to 80 years old who are in fairly good health and who meet the following criteria: Are current smokers or smokers who have quit in the past 15 years. Have at least a 20-pack-year smoking history. This refers to the number of years you smoked and how much you smoked daily. So if you smoked a pack a day for 20 years, you have a 20-packyear history. If you smoked two packs a day for 10 years, you also have a 20-pack-year history. If this applies to you, you may want to talk with your doctor about screening for lung cancer. Are there risks to screening? Who should be screened? Do you qualify for a lung cancer screening? Talk to your primary care provider, or find a provider at frhs.org.
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