Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women. The American Cancer Society estimates over 234,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed yearly and over 154,000 lung cancer-associated deaths in the United States.
Prevention, rather than screening, is the most effective strategy for reducing the burden of lung cancer in the long term. Most lung cancers are attributed to smoking, including lung cancer in nonsmokers in whom a significant proportion of cancer is attributed to environmental smoke exposure.
The goal of screening is to detect early cancers. This may both increase the overall cure rate and allow more limited surgical resection to achieve cure. Chest radiograph or sputum cytology screening do not reduce mortality from lung cancer and currently are not recommended by the American Thoracic Society and all other Medical Societies. The current approved method for screening is a Low Dose Computerized Tomography (LDCT) which is a special type of CT scan of the lungs, that utilizes high-definition imaging while using lowest amount of radiation.
If you or your loved one are smokers call now and schedule an appointment to discuss if you qualify for lung cancer screening.