Until very recently, the ability to screen for lung cancer when its most easily treated depended on decades-old technology. Come January, if the advice of several health organizations is followed, low-dose CT scans that can catch the development of cancer in its earliest stages will become a lot more common.
By December, the federal government is scheduled to decide whether or not the potentially expensive tests will be available through Medicare for patients at high risk of lung cancer.
The test, which came into play within the past few years, give doctors a high-resolution, three-dimensional look inside lung tissue. Unlike traditional screening that used x-rays, the CT scans can detect abnormalities the size of a grain of rice. At best, x-rays were able to definitively find abnormalities the size of a nickel.
The difference can be the deciding factor between life and death for estimated 225,000 newly diagnosed patients each year. Currently, approximately 435 people die each day because of lung cancer, but recent studies predict that number can be reduced by as much as 20% by the CT scans.
The test, according to screening guidelines proposed by the American Cancer Society last year, would be available to between three and four million people if the Medicare allowance is adopted.
Still, it would be limited to only the highest-risk group: people ages 55-79 who are current smokers (or quit within the past 15 years) and those who have smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 30 years. Younger people, depending on their insurance coverage, may have to shoulder the $400-$500 cost of the scan themselves.
And, while there are clear benefits for most people, some “” including the U.S. National Cancer Institute “” suggest having a frank discussion with your doctor to weigh possible risks. Included in those risks ““ CT scans used for lung cancer detection have shown a significant rate of “false positives,” leading to further and ultimately needless, expensive procedures.
Of course, the first step is cutting your chances of getting lung cancer is to stop smoking.
Another is to keep an eye out for telltale signs:
- A persistent or changing cough. A deeper, raspier cough, or coughs that include blood and mucus are a clear warning sign.
- Being more easily winded than normal. A tumor or fluid from a growth can close off airways.
- Chest pain.
- Unexplained weight loss. A drop of 10 pounds or more sounds good, but may be cancer cells sapping energy from other parts of the body.
- Other unexplained aches or pains.
If you smoke and have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away to assess your chances of having lung cancer.
