Does Lung Cancer Screening Have Any Risks
There is some radiation exposure during lung cancer screening. But its a small amount, smaller than a normal CT scan. Thats why they call this test a low-dose CT. If youre at a risk for lung cancer, its safe for you to get the scan every year.
Other risks may include:
- False positives: The scan may detect something in your lungs that looks like cancer, but isnt. For example, most pulmonary nodules are harmless. But you might have to get more tests and treatments before your healthcare provider confirms the growths arent cancer.
- Incidental findings: The scan takes pictures of other parts of your body, not just your lungs. So, the pictures might detect other health problems. Sometimes this is helpful if the problem needs attention. But incidental findings can also be stressful since they lead to more tests.
Benefits And Possible Risks Of Lung Cancer Screening
The main benefit of screening is a lower chance of dying from lung cancer, which accounts for many deaths in people who currently smoke or formerly smoked.
Still, its important to be aware that, as with any type of screening, not everyone who gets screened will benefit. Screening with LDCT will not find all lung cancers, not all of the cancers that are found will be found early, and some people with lung cancer found by screening will still die from that cancer.
LDCT scans can also find things that turn out not to be cancer, but that still have to be checked out with more tests to know what they are. You might need more CT scans, or less often, invasive tests such as a lung biopsy, in which a piece of lung tissue is removed with a needle or during surgery. These tests might rarely lead to serious complications.
LDCTs also expose people to a small amount of radiation with each test. It is less than the dose from a standard CT, but it is more than the dose from a chest x-ray. Some people who are screened may end up needing further CT scans, which means more radiation exposure.
Coping With A Lung Cancer Diagnosis
One possible outcome is that you will get a lung cancer diagnosis, which can obviously be scary. The good news is that tumors caught early are more treatable, and targeted drugs and immunotherapy have improved the survival rates for many patients.
If tests confirm you have lung cancer, there are certain measures you can take to live a better and longer life.
Many factors have been shown to be associated with longer survival time among patients diagnosed with lung cancer, Schabath says. Maintaining or adopting a healthy lifestyle have shown to benefit patients including healthy diets, physical activity and exercise, maintaining your weight , and of course smoking cessation.
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What If I Have A Positive Lung Scan
If your healthcare provider finds anything abnormal on your scan, you may need more imaging tests. You may also need a biopsy. A biopsy uses a sample of tissue from your lungs to find out if you have cancer. If you do have lung cancer, your healthcare provider will discuss the next steps with you.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Lung cancer screening is a safe and effective way to detect lung cancer in its early stages, when treatment may work better. The screening uses an imaging scan called a low-dose CT to take detailed pictures of your lungs. Screening is only for people who are at high risk for lung cancer due to their age and smoking history. Your healthcare provider can help you decide if lung cancer screening is right for you.
Early Detection Is The Key
Lung cancer is most treatable when identified in the earliest stages For high-risk patients, a low-dose CT scan is designed to look for signs of lung cancer even before symptoms are present. Using advanced medical imaging equipment known as a low-dose CT scanner, the MemorialCare radiology team can see a detailed picture of your lungs.
People who choose to undergo this program first undergo an initial baseline screening CT. No intravenous contrast is given. The scan is generally done in 20-30 seconds. If no significant abnormalities are identified, an annual repeat screening CT is recommended. Occasionally, abnormalities are identified which require further workups with standard-dose CT X-rays, biopsy or surgery.
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How Often Should You Have A Ct Scan For Lung Cancer
Experts recommend taking x-rays annually. Alternatively, you should take lung CT scans if you are concerned or if you show any symptoms.
If you are a smoker, it is highly recommended to have a CT scan every 3 months. On the other hand, patients whove had surgeries related to their lungs or lung cancer are advised to take more scans than regular smokers.
Reasons To Screen For Lung Cancer In People At Higher Risk
In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. Its also the leading cause of death from cancer.
If lung cancer is found at an earlier stage, when it is small and before it has spread, it is more likely to be treated successfully.
Lung cancer screening is recommended for certain people who smoke or used to smoke, but who don’t have any signs or symptoms. If a person has lung cancer but doesn’t have any symptoms, this usually means there’s a chance to detect the disease early.
Usually symptoms of lung cancer don’t appear until the disease is already at an advanced stage. Even when lung cancer does cause symptoms, many people may mistake them for other problems, such as an infection or long-term effects from smoking. This may delay the diagnosis. If you have symptoms that could be from lung cancer, see your doctor right away.
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What Is Lung Cancer Screening
Screening exams find disease before symptoms begin. The goal of screening is to detect disease at its earliest and most treatable stage. In order to be widely accepted and recommended by medical practitioners, a screening program must meet a number of criteria, including reducing the number of deaths from the given disease.
Screening tests may include lab tests that check blood and other fluids, genetic tests that look for inherited genetic markers linked to disease, and imaging exams that produce pictures of the inside of the body. These tests are typically available to the general population. However, an individual’s needs for a specific screening test are based on factors such as age, gender, and family history.
In lung cancer screening, individuals who have a high risk of developing lung cancer but no signs or symptoms of the disease undergo low-dose computed tomography scanning of the chest.
LDCT combines special x-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple, cross-sectional images or pictures of the inside of the body. LDCT produces images of sufficient quality to detect many abnormalities while using up to 90 percent less ionizing radiation than a conventional chest CT scan.
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Why Ct Scans Just Won’t Cut It
On top of that, there are other reasons why cancer diagnoses and treatment plans based on a CT scan are far less accurate and effective than those based on better tests that are available to you now!
So when your cancer diagnosis and treatment plan is based on a CT scan, its appropriate for you to want more information and to wonder if there might be something more you can do to have better confidence and control over what is happening to you.
A cancer diagnosis is overwhelming for the best of us!
It makes perfect sense that if youve gotten a cancer diagnosis, you might feel too overwhelmed with emotion to want to start to tackle the logistics involved in getting the best possible treatment. Where would you even start, right?
But…you probably already know exactly what you DONT WANT! And that is a good start…
- You dont want to constantly be wondering whats happening in your body.
- You dont want to be worrying if your treatment is the right one or if its working.
- You dont want to be anxious all the time, because you don’t know if your cancer is starting to grow elsewhere or if your tumors are shrinking.
- And you sure as heck dont want to be wondering for the rest of your life if you are truly cancer free… …Right?
We understand how you feel, and we are here to help you. You do not need to do this alone.
We believe that knowledge is power.
Nina Ostend, client Marge and Gary Hildebrand, client Damian Latch, client and colon cancer survivor
Additional Tests That May Help With Diagnosis And Treatment Plans
Your doctor also may order the following tests to aid in your diagnosis and determine your individual treatment plan:
Blood tests
Currently, no blood test can detect lung cancer. However, blood tests may be used to help determine your overall health and whether youre able to undergo surgery if that is part of your treatment plan. Blood tests that your doctor may order include:
Complete blood count : A CBC looks at a number of different types of blood cells. Your red blood cell count can indicate whether you have anemia the count would be low. A low number of platelets could suggest that you might have trouble with bleeding. Low white blood cell counts could suggest that youre at risk of infections. Your doctor may order a CBC several times during your treatment, especially if you have been given cancer drugs, as these may affect your bone marrow, which is where blood cells form.
Other blood chemistry tests: Lung cancer may spread to other organs, such as your liver, kidneys or bones. Your doctor may order different blood tests that can indicate whether your cancer has spread to these sites. An example: A higher-than-normal level of calcium and alkaline phosphatase may indicate that your lung cancer has metastasized to the bone.
More lab tests
Four-day lung nodule diagnosis
Experts may include:
- Thoracic surgeon
- Medical oncologist
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Links To More Information
- Research in the New England Journal of Medicine found that lung cancer screening with CT would detect more cancers and save more lives if current screening criteria were modified to include a wider range of individuals at risk.
- See the latest recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
A Simple Scan Can Detect Lung Cancer Before Symptoms Appear
By , Pulmonologist Virtua PulmonologyThe best way to prevent lung cancer is to not smoke. However, smokers who are at high risk for lung cancer may be able to improve their chances of living a long and healthy life by getting a special computed tomography scan. New low-dose CT scans allow health care providers to accurately assess the health of your lungs with two to four times less radiation exposure than conventional CT chest imaging. The American Lung Association and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend low-dose chest CT scans based on a study that found this painless imaging test reduced lung cancer deaths among smokers by 15 to 20%.In its early stages, lung cancer does not present with any telltale symptoms. So many people go undiagnosed until it has spread to other parts of the body. Earlier detection through low-dose CT scans provide an opportunity for more effective treatment.Are You a Candidate?You may be eligible for a lung cancer screening if you meet the new criteria recommended by the US Preventative Services Task Force.New Lung Screening Recommendation:
- Current or former smoker
- 20 pack-year history*
*A pack-year is the number of packs smoked daily multiplied by the number of years smoking. Example: 1 pack a day x 20 years = 20 pack-years
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What Does Metastasis Look Like On Ct Scan
Metastases may look like almost any lesion that occurs in the liver. Hemangiomas may be easily mistaken for metastases when they are multiple. On nonenhanced CT, they often form well-defined hypoattenuating lesions that mimic vascular metastases. On contrast-enhanced scans, they show peripheral enhancement.
Drawbacks Of A Ct Scan
While a CT scan is a good imaging test to screen for cancer, it does have some limitations. Its not the best test to screen for different types of cancers in all areas of the body. Another limitation of CT scanning is that there is a high rate of nodule detection. In a study, a benign nodule was detected in over 50% participants, leading to follow-up scans. This increased the risk of radiation as well as cost.
Secondly, a CT scan uses ionizing radiation. While the amount of radiation from a single CT scan may not pose much danger, every subsequent CT scan will increase the risk of radiation exposure in a patient. This should be weighed against the benefits of getting a CT scan, such as identifying abnormalities in different parts of the body.
One example of a situation that may need regular CT scans is undergoing cancer treatment. If the cancer is in an area such as the lungs, regular CT scans can help practitioners see how the treatment is working. In this case, the patients cumulative radiation dose increases.
At Ezra, we use a low-dose CT scan as part of our cancer screening service to scan the chest for lung cancer. As the name implies, this scan uses a very low dose of ionizing radiation and also leverages the advantage CT scanning has over other imaging tests in scanning the chest for signs of cancer.
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A Personal Guide Through Lung Cancer
As a Thoracic Nurse Navigator, Cindys main focus is to follow a patient from diagnosis through treatment. Shes there to answer patients questions about their scans, treatment and who they should be going to next. And shes always ready with more information about the diagnosis. Its the type of support that is invaluable to a patient coping with this deadly type cancer.
Whenever you get a cancer diagnosis, thats scary and you need to have a support person somebody to be there and hold your hand, says Cindy. Thats really important. My goal is to help people find lung cancer earlier so we can get a better cure rate.
Many people think 1.) What they dont know wont hurt them and 2.) You cant get lung cancer if youve never smoked. Neither are true. But Cindy says those false beliefs are why lung cancer screening should be part of your yearly discussion with your physician, along with prostate and breast cancer screening.
Clinical Signs Of Cancerous Lung Nodules
Cancer can develop without the patient knowing that it is there. However, most forms of cancer cause clinical symptoms that indicate that it is growing. If you know what to look for, you can identify cancer in its earlier stages and get the treatment that you need to survive it. The clinical signs of cancerous lung nodules include:
- Trouble breathing: As cancerous nodules grow and multiply, they can reduce the lungs effectiveness. They restrict the amount of air that your lungs can process in each breath, making it harder to breathe.
- Coughing blood: Cancerous lung nodules can damage the other tissues in the lungs, spilling blood into the lungs. As a response to prevent drowning, your body will cough to expel the blood. This can be a sign of multiple serious and potentially life-threatening conditions and should be treated immediately.
- Chest or back pain: Pain in the chest or back around the lungs can indicate a problem in the lungs. This pain presents differently in everyone and should be investigated by a physician as soon as possible.
- Weight loss/loss of appetite: Fighting cancer can take a lot of energy but also reduces the patients appetite. As a result, many people who have cancer see significant weight loss.
There are more signs of lung cancer that are not included on this list. Any of these signs indicates a serious problem may be developing. See a physician as soon as possible to ensure that you get the right diagnosis and treatment.
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Annual Ct Scans May Help Identify Asbestos
All too often, people do not develop symptoms of asbestos-related lung cancers until the disease has advanced too far for treatment to be effective. Survival rates are very low once this type of cancer spreads to areas outside of the chest. For this reason, some doctors recommend annual screenings for those with an increased risk. This would include those with occupational asbestos exposure.
While this type of screening will not identify all types of cancer that affect the lungs, it is a useful tool for doctors to examine the respiratory system.