While free lung cancer screenings are widely accessible for individuals aged 50 to 80 with a history of smoking, a significant percentage of eligible individuals are not taking advantage of this life-saving opportunity. Doctors emphasize the importance of early detection, as lung cancer often presents no symptoms in its early stages. They encourage those who meet the criteria to schedule a screening, which involves a low-dose CAT scan, to potentially reduce their risk of death from the disease by up to 20%.
People are eligible for lung cancer screening if they are between 50 and 80, smoked or have quit within the past 15 years and have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history.Doctors say while free lung cancer screenings are widely available, there is a high percentage of people who are at risk for the disease and eligible for a screening who are not making an appointment.has a short list of questions for people to answer to see if it makes sense for them to get a screening.
A screening is done with a low dose CAT scan to get a detailed look at lung tissue. Health insurance covers the screening and doctors say there should not be a co-pay. The American Lung Association says the scan can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%. But data shows only about 16% of those who are eligible get tested.
"We'd all like to be screened and have it completely clean, but If you are going to develop lung cancer, you want to discover it at the earliest possible stage, when it's curable," says Michael Ebright, a surgeon at Stamford Health & NewYork-Presbyterian."There are no nerves in the lungs, you're not going to feel lung cancer. You're not going to necessarily have a cough, you're not going to be coughing up blood, you're not going to have chest pain.
LUNG CANCER SCREENING EARLY DETECTION SMOKING HEALTH INSURANCE
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