Lung Cancer and Low-Dose CT Screening

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., for both men and women. Screening individuals at high risk can dramatically improve lung cancer survival rates by detecting the disease at an earlier stage when it can be more successfully treated. If caught early, lung cancer can have a 90% survival rate.

Studies have shown that a low-dose CT scan is the only lung cancer screening tool that reduces your risk of dying from lung cancer. That is because symptoms of lung cancer usually don’t appear until the disease is already at an advanced stage. Even when lung cancer does cause symptoms, many people may mistake them for other problems, such as an infection or the long-term effects from smoking. This may delay the diagnosis. A low-dose CT screening can help detect lung cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.

A low-dose CT scan shows changes in your lungs, which will prompt your doctor to order a test to determine if you have lung cancer. Your actual diagnosis of lung cancer is made by looking at your lung cells in a lab. If you need a lung cancer test, your doctor will decide which test is appropriate for you.