NCH offers early lung cancer screening program

For smokers and former smokers, the risk of getting lung cancer is much higher than for nonsmokers. But high-risk smokers can breathe a sigh of relief with a program at Northwest Community Healthcare that diagnoses lung problems at the earliest possible stage.

NCH’s Early Lung Cancer Screening program enables patients to find out if their lungs are cancer-free by taking a quick and painless, low-dose CT scan, which enables doctors to search for signs of cancer at an earlier stage — when lung cancer is most treatable.

Traditional X-rays provide a 2-dimensional view of the chest, showing not only the lungs, but the heart, bone and soft tissue — all of which can mask abnormalities. Low-dose CT lung scans create a detailed, 3-D image, giving doctors a clearer, unobstructed view of the lungs — and the ability to detect tiny nodules that would often not be visible on a chest X-ray.

An eight-year national benchmark study by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network and the National Cancer Institute showed a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality in current or former heavy smokers whose cancer was detected with a low-dose CT scan, compared with those whose cancer was detected with a chest X-ray.

Because radiation is involved in all imaging, patients must meet the following criteria to qualify for NCH’s Early Lung Cancer Screening program:

Ÿ Age 50 to 74

Ÿ Smoked a pack a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years, OR

Ÿ Smoked a pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years — along with an additional risk factor such as an immediate family member with lung cancer

Ÿ Either currently smoking or quit within the past 15 years

Ÿ No chest CT scan in the past year

Ÿ No history of lung cancer

Ÿ No signs or symptoms of lung cancer

Patients who are eligible for the screening will receive quick and painless scanning and a review of the scan by a board-certified radiologist who will look for lung nodules, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and calcified coronary arterial disease. Patients also will receive basic lung function testing by a respiratory therapist with review by a board-certified pulmonologist. For current smokers who are looking to quit, counseling classes and support groups are provided on-site an NCH.

For more information about NCH’s Early Lung Cancer Screening, visit nch.org or call (847) 618-3700.

About Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH).