Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer each year

Cancer screening is a vital technology in detecting disease early. We know that women over 40 are advised to get yearly mammograms, and men over 50 should have annual prostate checks.

For heavy, longtime smokers annual CT scans for lung cancer are extremely important. That’s because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. About one out of five cancer deaths are from lung cancer. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.

Most lung cancers are detected when symptoms start to occur. Symptoms include coughing up blood, sudden shortness of breath or coughing differently than normal.

Unfortunately, when those symptoms start to occur, it could mean the disease has already spread outside the lung. In fact, three out of four patients diagnosed with lung cancer are diagnosed at stages III or IV, where the cancer can be more difficult to treat.

That’s why we want to find lung cancer early, when it’s more treatable.

“It’s one of the most cured solid organ cancers as a stage one cancer,” says Dr. Marc Bailey, cardiothoracic surgeon with St. Joseph’s/Candler Physician Network and the Advanced Thoracic Oncology Center at the Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion.

And how can we catch it early? Lung cancer CT imaging screenings, Dr. Bailey says.

“Besides not smoking, screening is the No. 1 thing we can do to prevent late-stage lung cancer.

Dr. Marc Bailey

Dr. Doug Mullins

Detecting lung cancer early through CT scans

Lung cancer screening is a way for doctors to check for early signs of lung cancer in people who are heavy smokers but show no signs of the disease. Lung cancer screening is offered at St. Joseph’s/Candler through its Lung Cancer Screening Program.

A CT, or CAT, scan is a computerized image of the body using X-rays and a computer. A CT scan for lung cancer is similar to a regular CT scan but uses a lower dose of radiation to try to minimize exposure to the patient, says Dr. M. Douglas Mullins, the Advanced Thoracic Oncology Center medical director and interventional pulmonologist.

By using a CT scan for lung cancer screening, doctors can see fine detail in the lungs so that small tumors can be identified before they become dangerous, Dr. Mullins says. As a result, lung cancer may be detected earlier, before symptoms appear, and when it is often the most treatable.

The National Cancer Institute recently conducted a lung screening study which included more than 50,000 high-risk patients. Results showed that annual lung CT screening can detect lung cancer sooner and can reduce death rates from lung cancer by 20 percent in high-risk smokers older than 55 years.

“We’ve already seen great improvements so now the goal is to get more people screened,” Dr. Bailey says. “We’re trying to get the word out, and if people qualify for it, I encourage you to at least go talk to your provider about it.”

To be screened through the SJ/C Lung Cancer Screening Program, you must meet certain criteria that includes:

• You must be 50 to 80 years old
• At least a 30 pack-year smoking history (one pack a day for 30 years or half a pack a day for 60 years, for example)
• Currently a smoker or have quit within the past 15 years
• Have a family history of lung cancer

If criteria are met and a doctor’s order is given, patients can be screened for lung cancer at one of four places:

1. St. Joseph’s Hospital, 11705 Mercy Blvd., Savannah
2. Candler Hospital, 5353 Reynolds Street, Savannah
3. SJ/C Imaging Center – Pooler, 105 Grand Central Blvd., Suite 106, Pooler
4. SJ/C Imaging Center – Bluffton, 10A Oak Forest Road, Bluffton, SC

Screening is recommended every year, and a patient must have an order from a doctor each time in order to be screened. Medicare and most government insurance programs cover the screening; however, if you have private insurance, check with your provider to learn more about the cost.