Who should get low-dose CT lung cancer screening?

When it comes to treating lung cancer, early detection matters. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have now demonstrated a substantial reduction in lung cancer-related deaths in high-risk individuals undergoing low-dose lung screening CT.

At East Jefferson General Hospital, we care about NOLA residents and are here to help you stay healthy. That’s why we offer low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening if you’re at high risk for developing lung cancer.

How do you know if you’re at higher risk for lung cancer?

Not everyone is a candidate for early screening for lung cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening with low-dose CT only for people with certain risk factors. You are eligible if you:

• Are aged 50 to 80 years old without a current major health problem that substantially limits life expectancy
• Smoke or have quit within the past 15 years
• Have at least a 20-pack-year history of smoking. This is the number of packs you smoked per day multiplied by the number of years you smoked. For example, if you smoked two packs per day for 10 years, you have a 20-pack-year smoking history
• Are able or willing to have curative lung surgery if needed

Once you have not smoked for 15 years, annual screening can stop.

How does low-dose CT lung cancer screening work?

When you go to East Jefferson General Hospital for an LDCT scan, you’ll go to the radiology department for imaging. Once you’re in the screening room, you’ll lie on a flat, moveable table that slides into the CT scanner, which is a large machine shaped like a donut.

While you’re in the scanner, an X-ray tube inside the machine sends out tiny beams of radiation, which pass through your body to the other side of the scanner. A computer reads the results and converts them into detailed images of your lungs. The LDCT scan is painless and takes only about a minute.

Your radiologist, a physician who specializes in the interpretation of medical imaging, will look for anything unusual in the images, such as lung nodules or masses. At EJGH, all LDCT images are analyzed using the Lung-RADS system, a quality assurance tool designed by the American College of Radiology to standardize lung cancer screening analysis and reporting. Most abnormalities are not cancerous, but additional testing may be necessary to make sure. If cancer is diagnosed, the cancer care team at East Jefferson General Hospital will be with you every step of the way, providing the highest quality of care.

Are there risks involved with lung cancer screening?

Because CT scans are more likely to show tumors in the lungs than other types of imaging, such as X-rays or MRI, LDCT scans are the only recommended screening test for lung cancer. However, there are some risks involved with getting a LDCT scan, which is why the test is only recommended for people at high risk. Risks include:

• Exposure to a small amount of radiation that is less than that of a standard CT scan
• False positive results, which can lead to unnecessary follow-up testing or surgery
• Overdiagnosis, which is diagnosis of cancer that wouldn’t have caused a problem for the patient if undetected

It’s important to remember, however, that for many people at high risk of lung cancer, the benefits of getting screened outweigh the risks. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about the risks involved with LDCT.

Your primary care provider can help you determine whether low-dose CT lung cancer screening is right for you. Make an appointment today.