Lung Cancer Screening Info
Who should be screened for Lung Cancer?
Adults aged 50 to 80 years (Medicare coverage up to age 77) who have a 20-pack year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
One pack year = smoking one pack per day for one year; 1 pack = 20 cigarettes.
Screening should be discontinued once a person has not smoked for 15 years.
Examples:
- If you smoked 1 pack of cigarettes (20 cigarettes) per day for 30 years, you have a 30-pack year smoking history
- If you smoked 2 packs (40 cigarettes) per day for 15 years, you have a 30-pack year history
- If you smoked 1 ½ packs (30 cigarettes) per day for 20 years, you have a 30-pack year history
What tests are available through the Smilow Screening and Prevention Program?
- Decision Support Visit. Every patient referred for lung cancer screening is scheduled for a decision support visit with a Medical Doctor or Advanced Practice Provider from the Smilow Tobacco Treatment Program. At this visit, the risks and benefits of screening and individualized risk assessment are discussed with the patient. An educational module on lung cancer and screening is also offered to every patient.
- Low-dose CT (LDCT) of the chest. This procedure uses low-dose radiation to make a series of very detailed pictures of areas inside the chest. It uses an x-ray machine that scans the body in a spiral path. The pictures are made by a computer linked to the x-ray machine. This procedure is also called a low-dose helical CT scan.