Stormont Vail Encourages Lung Cancer Screening
A low-dose CT scan can reduce lung cancer deaths by up to 20 percent among people at high risk, yet only a small portion of those eligible take part. About 235,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Over the past five years, survival rates have improved 26 percent as early detection becomes more common.
Low-dose CT screenings for lung cancer began to expand widely in 2013. Before then, many cases went unnoticed until symptoms developed. Dr. Daniel Marichal, an interventional radiologist with Stormont Vail in Topeka, noted that early detection dramatically increases the chance of recovery.
“People would often find cancer incidentally — perhaps they had a cough, lost weight, or coughed up blood, then a chest scan revealed the disease at a later stage,” said Dr. Marichal. “If you diagnose cancer late, the chances of curing it are much lower.”
Smoking remains the leading risk factor for lung cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises annual screenings for adults aged 50 to 80 with a 20-pack-year smoking history.
“To calculate pack years, multiply the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years a person has smoked,” explained Dr. Marichal.
Most insurance plans now include coverage for qualifying individuals, though Kansas law does not yet require it. Dr. Marichal emphasized that the screening process itself is simple and could save lives through early detection.
Author’s Summary
Stormont Vail physicians stress the importance of annual low-dose CT lung screenings to detect cancer early and improve survival for high-risk individuals.