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As part of Trinity Health’s commitment to provide screening care to patients, we offer a low-dose CT screening program accredited by the American College of Radiology for people at high risk for developing lung cancer. Low-dose CT is a safe and effective tool to find lung tumors at an early, more treatable stage. The National Lung Screening Trial found that low-dose CT, combined with appropriate follow-up care, can reduce deaths from lung cancer.
Who Should Be Screened?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that individuals at high risk for developing lung cancer undergo an annual low-dose CT screening exam. What determines high risk? An individual’s primary care provider can help make this determination, but the basic criteria are as follows:
- Must be a current or former smoker.
- Age 55 – 77 years.
- If a former cigarette smoker, must have quit smoking within the last 15 years.
- Must have smoked at least 30 pack years. A pack year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For example, a person could have a 30-pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years.
- Have no current signs or symptoms of lung cancer such as cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing up blood, or pain in the chest.
If you think you meet these criteria, contact your primary care provider or Trinity Health’s pulmonary/lung specialists to determine whether low-dose CT is appropriate for you.
