Should I Get Screened for Lung Cancer?
November 29, 2023
You might take a smoke break every few hours. You might remember the days when that used to be the case. Or maybe, you've never smoked cigarettes at all.
Whether you smoke a pack a day or have never smoked a day in your life, lung cancer should be on your radar.
Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the US, and it is the deadliest by far: 1 in 5 cancer deaths are due to lung cancer. More people die of lung cancer every year than of breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.
But, it's not all bad news.
The number of new cases and the amount of deaths from lung cancer are on the decline. This is happening for several reasons, such as more people quitting smoking (or not starting in the first place) and improved treatments.
Among one of the major contributors to the decreases in deaths is early detection through advancements in screening. "The results of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that early detection of lung cancer via screening has been shown to decrease the risk of death by lung cancer by 20% amongst people who are high risk," states Edward Carter, MD, Diagnostic Radiology at Chester County Hospital. "It can also mean less treatment — research has shown that lung cancer found at stage 1A (one of the earliest stages) has a 90% likelihood of being treated successfully with only surgery."
But you need to meet certain criteria to be eligible for screening or be considered high risk for developing lung cancer.
So — should YOU be screened for lung cancer? Take this quick self-assessment to find out: