Lung cancer accounts for a quarter of all cancer deaths. But it can be caught early.
Of all the many forms of cancer and the endless devastation they cause, lung cancer could be considered the most devastating, the most impactful.
Of the more than 600,000 people who braved a cancer fight, yet succumbed to the disease, approximately a quarter of them were lung cancer patients.
And yet, as stated by the American Lung Association, just 16 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in an early, more treatable stage.
“Our chances of successfully treating lung cancer and getting a favorable outcome are greatly increased if it’s caught when it’s in its earlier stages,” said Jacob Parzen, MD, Radiation Oncology. “What makes it difficult in many cases is that the vast majority of patients don’t have symptoms in those early stages.
“Paying attention to risk factors and screening guidelines is critical in these cases.”
Early signs of lung cancer can appear as common, innocuous symptoms often written off as a passing inconvenience: unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, reduced energy.
This prompted cancer specialists to develop guidelines for screenings to detect lung cancer in early stages.
A CT scan — a commonly used imaging technology — of the chest can identify the small cancerous nodules or other lung abnormalities. This is accomplished using a lower dose of radiation as well — just 25 percent of the average CT scan.
With a history of smoking being the leading risk factor for lung cancer, those who should consider a low-dose CT lung cancer screening are:
Current smokers, or former smokers who have quit within the past 15 years with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history.
- Between the ages of 50 and 70.
- People with an absence of symptoms of lung cancer.
- People with an absence of other diseases that would prevent a person from receiving cancer treatment.
- Detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages often means the cancer remains localized in the lungs and has not spread, so the cancer will be more responsive to treatment options.
Deciding on whether to get a lung cancer screening should be the result of a conversation a patient has with their primary care physician.
If you have an order for a low-dose CT or lung cancer screening from your provider, call 800-625-2736, or visit mclaren.org/lungcancerscreening for more information.