St. Luke's Lung Cancer Screening
10 Minutes can save your life
56 Hospital Drive, Building 4 • Columbus, NC 28722
Office: 828-894-0111 • Fax: 828-894-0746
What is lung cancer screening?
Lung cancer screening is a two-step process: a shared decision- making visit with one of our lung cancer screening providers and a low-dose CT scan of your chest to find cancer before symptoms appear. Lung cancer found early is most treatable.
The screening at St. Luke’s provides much greater detail and accuracy and is most helpful in guiding treatment for people with a moderate risk of developing lung cancer. This test is necessary and should continue under your doctor’s direction after the initial screening.
Who should be screened?
Consider screening if you meet the following criteria:
• Patients 50 to 77
• Current or former smoker within the last fifteen years
• Have smoked 20 pack-years* or more
What to expect
You’ll lie on your back on a long table during the screening. You will briefly hold your breath to create a clear picture of your lungs. The table will move quickly through the machine. In less than a few seconds, our scanner takes two hundred-fifty multi-slices that combine to form sixty-four images. Now that’s impressive.
• This scan is up to 70% less radiation than a regular CT scan!
Please speak to your primary healthcare provider about St. Luke’s Lung Cancer Screening Program.
Are there radiation risks with lung cancer screening?
Our scanner is a “low-dose” CT providing about half the amount of radiation you’ll receive naturally in a year. If your scan shows a suspicious area, you may need additional scans, or invasive tests, such as a biopsy.
Some lung cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm in your lifetime. But knowing which cancers will cause no damage and which need removing quickly to save your life is challenging. If diagnosed with lung cancer, your provider will likely recommend treatment options.
Missing cancers
Lung cancer may be hidden or missed on your lung cancer screening test.
Is it OK to continue smoking?
The best way to lower your risk of lung cancer is to stop smoking. If you smoke now, we highly recommend that you stop. When you stop smoking, you also decrease your risk of developing COPD, heart disease, and other illnesses.
Contact St. Luke’s Cancer & Infusion Center to discuss lung cancer screening further. Fax referrals to (828) 894-0746. Your primary care provider can also send the order to EPIC. For more information, visit: StLukesNC.org/Cancer.
Potential benefits and risks of lung cancer screening
BACK
