JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Capital Region Medical Center offers patients a better chance for survival when it comes to lung cancer. Until recently, early detection has been difficult, but there is good news about the disease: Doctors now have a screening test that can catch lung cancer early. It’s called low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT), and patients can be screened right here at Capital Region.
LDCT produces cross-sectional images of the entire chest, including the lungs, using special x-ray equipment and sophisticated computers. These images enable doctors to detect very small nodules in the lung.
The greatest benefit of LDCT is that it can find lung cancer in its beginning stages, which helps lower the risk of dying from the disease. Early diagnosis means doctors can often use minimally invasive surgery to remove the cancer and preserve more lung tissue. The screening is fast, painless and noninvasive, and it uses much less radiation than a traditional CT scan of the chest. LDCT scans cannot tell if an area of concern is cancerous or not. Additional testing may be needed to determine if cancer is present.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends the screening for certain people at high risk for lung cancer. You are at high risk if the guidelines below apply.
- You are between 55 and 80 years old.
- You have a pack-year smoking history of 30 years or more.
- You smoke now, or you quit within the last 15 years.
- You do not have symptoms of lung cancer, and you have no history of any cancer within the last five years.
(Pack years = packs smoked per day x number of years smoked; For example, 10 pack years = 1 pack smoked per day for 10 years)
Eston Schwartz, M.D., Oncologist at Goldschmidt Cancer Center, says, “Early detection of lung cancer improves patient outcomes and increases chances for survival. With our lung cancer screening program, we hope to set our patients up for success from the beginning.”
For those wishing to receive a lung cancer screening, they must first speak with their Primary Care Physician. For a list of providers currently accepting new patients, visit www.crmc.org/acceptingnewpatients.
Dr. Schwartz is available for interview on the topic. To schedule, please contact Lindsay Huhman, PR & Marketing Director, at lhuhman@crmc.org or 573-632-5596.
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About Capital Region Medical Center
Capital Region Medical Center, located in Jefferson City, Mo. is an affiliate hospital of University of Missouri Health Care, and encompasses a full service hospital, a comprehensive cancer program at Goldschmidt Cancer Center and an expansive clinic system covering eight counties. Within the hospital, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center is one of the few accredited hospital-based rehabilitation centers in the state. From prenatal and obstetric care to orthopaedic and cardiovascular services, Capital Region provides innovative health care, advancing its mission to improve the health and wellness of the people and communities it serves. For more information, visit www.crmc.org.