Lung cancer is cancer that begins in the lung (almost all people are born with two lungs). Anyone can get lung cancer, but some factors increase your risk. About 80%-90% of lung cancer deaths are related to cigarette smoking.
Screening people who have a long history of smoking cigarettes significantly reduces lung cancer deaths, but despite being a non-invasive and quick procedure, current rates in the U.S. are just over 18% for those eligible*—the lowest of any routine cancer screening.
Early Detection = Better Outcomes®, so it’s important to get screened, reduce your risk, and talk with your health care provider about your health history.
*Source: American Lung Association
If you smoke cigarettes or used to smoke cigarettes, follow these screening guidelines.*
*Source: American Cancer Society
People who smoke cigarettes or used to smoke cigarettes may qualify for screening with a low-dose CT scan, an easy and painless screening procedure. Screening is recommended for those who have at least 20 pack-year histories of smoking cigarettes.
Low-dose CT scans are fast (taking less than a minute) and utilize up to 90% less radiation than traditional CT scans.
A “pack-year history” is an estimate of how much a person has smoked over time. Multiply the number of packs of cigarettes smoked every day by the number of years smoking that amount.
One pack a day for 20 years is equal to 20 pack years. Two packs a day for 10 years also equals 20 pack years. Learn more about how pack years factor into your health.
Under federal law, private insurers and Medicaid are required to cover services that have an “A” or “B” grade by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Some insurers may choose to cover services for additional groups. Medicare coverage for preventive services is limited to tests for which Congress has explicitely authorized coverage.
Guidelines from the USPSTF recommend lung cancer screening for people ages 50-80 with 20 pack-year histories, who currently smoke cigarettes or who have quit within the past 15 years. American Cancer Society guidelines say it doesn’t matter when you quit.
Always check with your insurance provider to find out if you’ll be covered for routine lung cancer screening.
Eligibility for lung cancer screening is based on cigarette smoking. If you have a long history of smoking something else, such as cigars, talk with your health care provider about lung cancer screening. If screening is recommended for you, you may want to check with your insurance provider to see if it will be covered.
Screening is recommended based on age and cigarette smoking history. Use this tool to find a lung cancer screening location near you today.
Get startedYou are at increased risk for lung cancer if you:
You may reduce your risk for lung cancer through these lifestyle-related modifications:
The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables can help prevent DNA damage, and the phytochemicals and fiber have properties that can stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.
Beta-carotene, lutein, vitamin A, and vitamin B6 and B12 supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer.
There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer. Talk with your health care provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, even if you have none of the risk factors listed:
Treatment depends on the type of tumor cells (small cell or non-small cell), the stage of the cancer, the presence or absence of certain proteins or genetic mutations, and your medical condition.
In early stages of lung cancer, when the disease has not spread outside the lungs, surgery is the usual treatment. The most common type of surgery for early-stage lung cancer is lobectomy (removal of one lobe of the lung). A pneumonectomy (removal of the entire lung) could be done for cancer that has spread throughout the lung.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.
This treatment uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.
This type of cancer treatment stimulates your immune system to better respond to the cancer to detect and destroy abnormal cells. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.
Patients with certain tumor characteristics or genetic mutations may be eligible for targeted therapy. Targeted therapy can be a drug or antibody that targets the proteins or genetic mutations that affect how cancer cells grow, divide and spread. It may be used alone or in combination before or after surgery.
When Kim had a cough that wouldn’t go away, she pushed for answers.
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