CT Scans Save Lives
- Wolfgang Lehner had a family history of lung cancer, and he smoked tobacco until he was 51-years-old. In 2017, he was diagnosed with the disease himself.
- Luckily, Lehner’s doctors screened him and caught his cancer early enough for it to be treated effectively. It was detected through a CT scan.
- Adults ages 50-80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years should have yearly low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer. (One pack-year is the equivalent of smoking an average of 20 cigarettes, or one pack, per day for a year.)
The New York City cinematographer had cancer on both sides of his family. One grandfather had passed from lung cancer, and the other from stomach cancer. On top of that, Lehner smoked cigarettes.
Read MoreA new study shows that CT scans are saving lives among the 236,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer every year. "If you catch it early, you can cure 'em," lead author Dr. Raja Flores of Mount Sinai told HealthDay.
Dr. Flores is the chair of thoracic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City. His study analyzed more than 312,000 lung cancer patients from 2006 to 2016. The research determined that thanks to more cases being diagnosed early, lung cancer deaths dropped about 4% a year.
An important change occurred in the middle of this study period. Previous guidelines advised annual chest X-rays for people at high risk of lung cancer. New recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force advised that individuals at high risk for lung cancer receive annual low-dose CT scans.
This was a significant advancement. According to Dr. Flores, X-rays detect lung cancer in 7% of all screenings, while CT scans detect lung cancer nearly 25% of the time. This seems particularly important in the context of the fact that lung cancer patients diagnosed at early stages survive nearly five years on average. Lung cancer patients diagnosed at late stages typically survive just seven months.
That's why proactive and effective screening is so important for lung cancer. “Basically, if you find it early and get it out, you have got a much, much better chance of being cured,” Dr. Flores said.
CT Screening Saves Lives
A low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan uses a small amount of radiation to create highly detailed pictures of your lungs. It can reveal cancer long before your first symptom appears.
A study published in the February 2020 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that former and current longtime smokers ages 50 to 74 who had low-dose CT scans were less likely to die from lung cancer (24% lower risk in men and 33% lower risk in women) than those who didn't have this test.
"[The CT scans] were able to pick [up the cancer] at an earlier stage and potentially cure them at a higher rate than not doing screening," said Dr. Patrick Forde, a thoracic oncologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
After a lung cancer diagnosis, doctors will typically order a brain MRI and a PET/CT scan to see if the cancer has spread to other organs.
Should You Get a CT Scan?
That depends on your age and your smoking history. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) an independent expert panel that makes evidence-based recommendations about screenings and other preventive services recommends yearly low-dose CT scans for people who:
- Are between 55 and 80 years old
- Have a history of heavy smoking, and
- Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years
Heavy smoking means that you've smoked 30 pack years or more. That's the equivalent of smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years.
Too Few People Are Getting Screened
CT scans can save lives, but only if those who are at risk for lung cancer actually get this test. The State of Lung Cancer 2020 report from the American Lung Association found that screening every currently eligible person would save close to 48,000 lives, but only about 6% of Americans who are at high risk are getting screened.
One potential barrier to people accessing CT screening is insurance. Though Medicare and many private health insurance companies should cover the cost of CT screening for people who meet the USPSTF's guidelines, those who are uninsured may not get tested. "The concern is perhaps patients who are on Medicaid or don't have insurance will not be referred for appropriate screening," Dr. Forde says.
"I think it behooves us all to try and increase the uptake of CT screening in particular, given that it's been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality," Dr. Forde adds. If you are a longtime smoker between the ages of 55 and 80, ask your primary care doctor if you qualify for low-dose CT screening, and how to get this test.
Contributing: SurvivorNet staff
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