Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for all people in the United States and New York State. Lung cancer screening means checking the lungs with a low dose computed tomography scan (CT scan) before any symptoms of lung cancer begin. Screening does not prevent lung cancer but can help find it early when it’s easier to treat. Finding lung cancer early can increase a person’s chance of being alive at five years to nearly 60% compared to less than 10% when the cancer is found late and has spread to other areas of the body.

Lung Cancer Screening Recommendation

Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults who are at high risk for developing the disease because of their smoking history and age.

Current guidelines* recommend a low dose CT scan every year for:

  • All people ages 50-80 years who:
    • Have at least a 20 pack-year** cigarette smoking history AND
    • Who currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years.

*These are United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines

**To calculate pack-year history: Start with the average number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and multiply by the number of years a person has smoked. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years. The following links can help you calculate pack-year history.

Getting Screened

Lung cancer screening is a covered benefit across most health insurance plans in New York State including New York State Medicaid. A covered benefit means a health insurance plan agrees to pay for all or part of a service. Lung cancer screening is a covered benefit until the age of 77 years for individuals on Medicare. Check with your insurance plan to find out what benefits are covered for lung cancer screening.

Lung Cancer Screening Test: Low Dose CT scan

For a low dose CT scan, a person lies down on an exam table and an x-ray machine takes pictures of the lungs. There is no need to prepare for the test and it is not painful. No needles or dye are needed, and it only takes a few minutes. The following videos show how a CT scan is done.

Visit the Lung Cancer Screening Locator to find a New York State facility near you that offers lung cancer screening.

Additional Tests

Sometimes lung cancer screening can find small growths called nodules. Nodules are very common in the lungs. Many lung nodules do not cause symptoms and most are not cancer. If nothing looks concerning on the CT scan, you will get another low-dose CT scan in one year. If a nodule looks concerning, your health care provider may send you for more tests. These tests may include a different type of scan or a follow up CT scan to check if the nodule(s) is growing. Your health care provider might also help you set up a visit with a surgeon to see if a biopsy is needed. A biopsy means removing a small amount of tissue to test it for cancer.

What are the risks of lung cancer screening?

Lung cancer screening has some risks, but studies show screening is more helpful than harmful. Some risks include:

  • Finding something that could be cancer, but it turns out not to be. This is called a false positive or false alarm.
  • A low amount of radiation exposure from the CT scan. This type of scan uses the lowest dose of radiation needed and is much lower than a regular CT scan. It is equal to the amount of natural radiation we are exposed to by living on the Earth for about 6 months.
  • Finding very slow-growing cancers that may never cause harm. This is called overdiagnosis.
  • Because lung cancer screening takes a picture of the whole chest, it can find other health issues in other organs. This can be helpful, but it can also lead to further testing.
  • Undergoing CT scans and testing may be stressful and cause anxiety, especially while waiting for test results.

How can I get help to stop smoking?

Cigarette smoking causes 80-90% of all lung cancers. The most effective way to reduce your risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking. Lung cancer screening is not a replacement for quitting smoking. Medications, like the nicotine patch, lozenge, or gum, can boost your chance of quitting by controlling nicotine cravings. For help with quitting, talk to your health care provider and contact the NYS Quitline: 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), text QUITNOW to 333888, or visit nysmokefree.com.

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