Special to IFN
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. with more Americans dying from it than any other type of cancer. With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, it’s a good time to talk to your healthcare provider to see if a low-dose CT lung cancer screening is right for you.
Rebecca Blair, CT technologist at Iredell Health, answered some questions about low-dose CT lung cancer screenings:
Q: What is a low-dose CT lung screening?
A: This is a yearly low-dose CT scan (LDCT) that can show potentially cancerous tumors while they’re still small. LDCT scans take pictures of the insides of your lungs. The amount of radiation is minimal; approximately only a third of that of a diagnostic chest CT.
Q: Why get screened?
A: Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths each year. That’s more than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. By screening, cancer can be found early, before it spreads, and the survival rate is more than 70 percent at 5-years post diagnosis.
Q: Who is a candidate?
A: Anyone age 50 – 80. Individuals who smoke now or have stopped in the last 15 years. Those who have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history. (A “pack-year” is a way to measure a person’s smoking history based on the number of packs smoked per day and the number of years they have smoked. For instance, a person qualifies for the low-dose CT scan if they have smoked the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes every day for at least 20 years. Alternatively, they could have smoked two packs a day for 10 years, or any other combination that adds up to 20 pack-years.)
Q: What can someone expect during the process?
A: Prior to a LDCT scan of the lungs a technologist will ask you a few questions, such as your height and weight. Then you lie on your back on a long table with your arms resting over your head. You will be given a pillow to make you more comfortable. The technologist will then move to a separate room where they can still see you and talk with you. You’ll be asked to stay very still as the table slides through the center of a large machine that creates the images of your lungs. The table passes through the machine initially to determine the starting point for the scan. When the machine is ready to start the scan, you will be asked to hold your breath briefly to create a clear picture of your lungs. The table will move quickly through the machine as the images are created. Expect your appointment to last about 10-15 minutes, though the actual scan takes less than a minute.
Q: Where can I get an LDCT screening?
A: Iredell Health System offers LDCT at three facilities: Iredell Memorial Hospital, Iredell Mooresville, and Family Care Center Taylorsville.
Talk to your healthcare provider about scheduling this important screening.
About Iredell Health System
Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Davis Medical Center; Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare organization has 391 licensed beds; close to 2,300 employees; and has approximately 365 healthcare providers representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The health system’s Iredell Mooresville campus is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.