Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Screening

Hi:

Can you please tell me why screening for lung cancer with imaging tools is not currently recommended?  What if you have a family history (mother and maternal uncle with lung cancer and father and paternal uncle with colon cancer) and you are a former smoker (15-year smoker; 1 pack per day; quit 5 years ago)?  Thank you for your kind response.

Regards,

PPG
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I passed the 15-year window for annual LDCT screening and want to continue with it nonetheless. Insurance rejects it now but I did it last year through self-pay ($200) with referral from my PCP.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just wanted to update this old post with new lung cancer screening recommendations. The most current guidelines are summarized on UpToDate: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image?imageKey=PULM%2F64078. Although there are slight variations between different organizations, most recommend screening for those with at least 30 pack-year smoking history with age at least 55 years old. At the time of this post, Medicare covers lung cancer screening with low-dose CT chest for asymptomatic patients age 55-77, who are either currently smoking or quit within last 15 years, who have smoked at least 1 pack per day for 30 years. Before your first lung cancer screening, you will need to schedule a lung cancer screening counseling and shared decision-making visit with your doctor to discuss the benefits and risks of lung cancer screening. You and your doctor can decide whether lung cancer screening is right for you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

It would be best to talk about it with your doctor, as a case to case individual approach is always suitable.
The general recommendation is based on previous experience with screening tests. Even smokers are included in those people who participated, so higher risk groups were represented. The screening test should be able to capture disease at an earlier stage where a curative intervention can be applied. The current information shows that the number of people who develop advanced disease does not decrease with the screening test, and so the numbers who would be expected to die per year are not decreasing despite the application of the screening test.
Hence, there is no clear benefit. There is also an uncertain risk (of how high or how low) regarding the application of radiation yearly as the screening test (currently the CT scan is being touted as the imaging tool for these screening studies) may also promote the development of lung cancer.
Remember this is screening, meaning people who have no symptoms. If you do feel something, then the situation changes. This is also as far as general recommendations go, I think that role of the doctor is to provide information and help the individual patient make a decision. Something similar exists for prostate cancer, the screening doesn’t improve survival, so it is not recommended. But it is offered to men, because it could empower them to make a decision, which is also something very important.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Lung Cancer Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Here are 15 ways to help prevent lung cancer.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
Diet and digestion have more to do with cancer prevention than you may realize
How your health improves once you quit.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.