CT Lung Cancer Screening

Jae Ho Sohn, MD, MS, is engaged in a number of research projects including lung cancer risk stratification in lung cancer screening. He says that the field is moving toward a much needed risk based and personalized approach to lung cancer screening.

A chest computed tomography (CT) scan finds a lung nodule; what is the significance of that? Brett Elicker, MD, chief of Cardiac & Pulmonary Imaging at the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging spoke about this topic as part of the UCSF Osher Mini Medical School lecture series.

Recent studies support UCSF Radiology's recommendation that annual mammography screening begin at age 40 for women of low or average risk. Mammography can also lead to another health benefit—an opportunity for women to receive lung cancer screening, if eligible.

Preventive imaging exams are designed to detect cancer and noncancerous health conditions in their early stages, when diseases are more treatable and curable. While physicians keep current with preventive care guidelines and recommend and encourage patients to have appropriate screenings, only a small portion of eligible patients receive recommended screenings. 

The CT Lung Cancer Screening Program at the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging uses radiology tools to detect lung cancer in at-risk patients at its earliest stage. But first you have to get current and former heavy smokers to come in for screening.

Nearly one hundred sixty thousand people die every year in the U. S. from lung cancer -- a higher number than deaths from breast, prostate, colon, and ovarian cancers combined. But regular screening with low-dose radiation CT scans can catch lung cancer early.

Thanks to recommendations by the U.S. Preventative Task Force, private insurance payors must cover the expense of the lung cancer CT screening by January 2015!

The US Preventative Services Task Force has released new recommendations in favor of annual CT lung cancer screening for long-term smokers. The decision is yet another step forward for screening advocates and the change in policy has the potential to save 20,000 lives each year, experts say.

When it comes to men versus women, women are now in the lead… But this isn’t a race that either gender wants to win. For the first time, women who smoke are more likely to die of lung cancer than male smokers.

Lung cancer screening advocates have another major organization on their side. The American Cancer Society published guidelines recommending CT screening for long-term and current smokers.